The Quarterback
by FinchelFan728
Summary: Everyone thinks he's dead. It certainly looks that way. But looks can be deceiving. Is Finn really dead? Or is he still out there somewhere? And is there hope for him - before it's too late? Takes place after 4x19. (Trigger warning: kidnapping and violence included)
1. Chapter 1: The Shortcut

_Hey guys! This is a story I've had in mind for a while. I've always wondered - since so many things about Finn were left unanswered, what if he was still alive out there, somewhere, and nobody knew? What if it appeared that he was dead, but he wasn't... for some time at least? Would it be possible for him to be found before it was too late? The events of the end of Season 4 and the first few episodes of Season 5 will happen, but with a few adjustments. Since this is a sensitive subject, I decided to wait a while, but now I want to do this. Let me know what you guys think and if I should keep going!_

Chapter 1: The Shortcut

Finn sat in his dorm room, trying to finish up his review for the test in his math class. It was like Puck had told him - college was the real deal. He couldn't just hope his potential would be enough anymore. He had to prove that he was in this.

Still, college could be stressful. He knew that before he even signed up, but he wasn't sure just how demanding the classes would be. He probably spent two or three hours studying for every hour he spent in class. Since University of Lima operated on quarters rather than semesters, there was more material to cover in a shorter amount of time.

Finn hadn't gone to the dining hall tonight since he had been studying so much. But now it was beginning to catch up with him. He was hungry.

The dining hall was already closed for the night, but there was a CVS nearby. Maybe Finn could go pick up a snack at CVS. He looked across the room, where Puck was playing a video game. "Hey Puck, I'm going to go grab something to eat. Want anything?"

"Okay," Puck said. "If I think of anything I need, I'll text you."

Finn nodded and grabbed his wallet before leaving the dorm and walking to CVS. One of the guys from the fraternity had shown him a shortcut to CVS from campus though some backroads, so this way he could get more studying in. Finn went inside and looked around before buying some chips. He paid for the chips and began to take the shortcut back to campus. He wasn't lying, this shortcut did make him a little nervous. The street wasn't well lit, and it was pretty deserted.

As Finn turned the corner, he saw a car approaching. Maybe taking the backroads wasn't such a good idea. He could get hit. This probably wasn't a good idea. He shouldn't have taken this shortcut.

Finn moved to the side of the street, hoping that the car wouldn't hit him, trying to speed up his walking.

The car paused, and a figure bigger than Finn's got out. Finn gulped and began walking faster. He tripped over his untied shoelace. Now he felt like a real idiot. He felt his head hit the ground and put his hand to his head. He looked at his hand and saw that there was something liquidy on it. The street wasn't lighted - but he was pretty sure it was blood.

The figure came over to Finn. "Need some help?"

Finn looked. "Yes, please."

The figure pulled Finn up. "Now, what are you doing?" Finn looked. This was a man even bigger than he was. Probably 6'5 or 6'6 and about 100 pounds heavier.

"I was just picking up a snack..." Finn began as the man grabbed him. Finn began panicking. What was going on? "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" he shouted. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" He tried kicking, but there was no use. This man had a few inches and about a hundred pounds on him. "HELP!" Finn shouted. "HELP! SOMEBODY! HELP!"

"No one can hear you," the man said, dragging Finn to his car. He opened the door and sat on Finn as he tied his arms together, then his legs. "Now you can't get away."

"What are you doing to me?" Finn asked. He was beating himself up on the inside. Why had he taken that shortcut? It had given him weird feelings... "You don't know who I am! I never did anything to you!"

Finn tried to pull down the window with his head, but there was no use. The window had clearly been locked. Instead, he screamed as loud as he could. "HELP! HELP!"

"Shut up," the man said. "If you don't shut up I'm going to kill you."

x

Hours had passed, and Finn hadn't come back to the dorm room.

Puck picked up his phone and tried calling Finn to see where he was. Finn didn't answer the phone. Puck tried again, and the phone went straight to voicemail. Finn hadn't mentioned going anywhere but CVS. Maybe he'd gone home? Puck dialed the Hudson-Hummel house number.

Carole picked up the phone. "Hello?" She sounded half asleep.

Puck felt bad. Had he woken Carole up? "Carole, this is Puck."

"Hi honey," Carole said. "How are you?"

"Hey, I was wondering, is Finn home?" Puck asked.

"What?" Carole asked.

Puck began getting nervous. If Finn wasn't at home - where was he? "Finn went to get a snack earlier this evening and he still hasn't gotten back."

"What?" Carole asked. "When did he leave? Did you try calling him?"

"He left a few hours ago," Puck said, feeling his heart beat fast. "I tried calling him. More than once. I..."

"Honey, maybe he left his phone in the room," Carole said.

Puck went to Finn's desk and looked all over it. There was no sign of his phone. "I don't see it."

"Oh God," Carole said. "Well, I'll try calling him. I'll call you with an update, okay?"

"Okay," Puck said. He hung up the phone, worried sick about Finn. Why wasn't Finn answering his phone? Where was he? Why hadn't he gone with him?

x

"Burt, wake up," Carole said, nudging her husband. She'd just tried calling Finn, but there had been no answer. When Puck had called her to say that Finn hadn't come home, she was worried, but now she was even more worried. Finn always answered her calls. It was possible that he'd lost his phone, but if he had, he would have told her.

Burt sat up and looked at Carole. "What's going on?"

"I don't know where Finn is," Carole said. "Puck called me to say that Finn went out to get a snack a few hours ago and he still hasn't come back. I tried calling him and so did Puck."

"You said he went to CVS?" Burt asked.

"Yes," Carole said.

"The one near his school is 24 hours," Burt said. "Let's go there."

"Okay," Carole said. But she knew Finn wasn't at CVS. She didn't know where he was but she knew not at CVS. Maybe someone there would have seen something though.

"Let's go," Carole said. She didn't speak as she and Burt drove to CVS. Where was her little boy? Was he safe? Was he hurt?

Burt and Carole pulled into the parking lot at CVS and went inside. "Hi, were you here earlier this evening?" Burt asked the employee at the counter.

The employee looked confused. "Yes. How may I help you?"

"Was there a young man who came in earlier this evening, 6'3", about 200 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes?" Burt asked. "That's our son, and we don't know where he is..."

The clerk looked confused, then like she was thinking. "There was a young man who meets that criteria who came in tonight..."

"When did he come in?" Burt asked.

The clerk paused. "Maybe about ten."

"When did he leave?" Burt asked.

"He was only here a few minutes," the clerk continued. "How old is your son?"

Carole managed to speak. "He's eighteen."

"I don't think you guys need to be worried," the clerk said. "Kids that age are always up to things. He's probably with his friends or something."

But Burt and Carole knew their son. Finn didn't just walk away like this. He was out there somewhere. But where was he?

"Should we go to the police?" Burt asked Carole as they left.

"That's what I was thinking," Carole said. She got in the car with Burt and they drove to the police station, going up to the first officer they saw. "Hi, I'm from Whitman Avenue in Lima. I think my son's gone missing," Carole told the officer.

x

Finn lay miserably in the back of the car. So many thoughts were going through his head. Why was this person doing this to him? What had he done to deserve this? He had no idea who this person was.

He felt tears welling up in his eyes as the car pulled into a driveway. "Where are you taking me?" Finn asked the driver. "This isn't fun. I want to go back to my dorm."

The driver didn't answer. He came to the backseat of the car and picked up Finn. Finn realized they were at a house. Looking around, Finn didn't know what this part of town was. They'd been driving a while, so Finn wasn't even sure where they were.

x

"He's eighteen, nineteen this summer," Carole told the police officer. "He's 6'3", about 200 pounds, he's got brown eyes, brown hair, he usually spikes a little bit of it up at the top..."

"Okay, when did you last see your son?" the police officer asked Burt and Carole.

"We saw him a few days ago," Carole said.

"Did he seem upset about anything?" the officer asked.

"No, that's the thing," Burt said. "He wasn't upset about anything. He had a rough beginning of the year. He broke up with his girlfriend and he failed out of the army, but his life was really coming together. He just started college and he's happy. There was nothing concerning us."

Puck came in. "Sorry I'm late." Carole had called Puck to meet them at the police station. Since as far as they knew, Puck had been the last one to see Finn, it would be good to have him there.

"This is Finn's roommate, Noah Puckerman," Carole told the police. "He saw Finn right before he went to CVS.

"Hi Mr. Puckerman, thank you for being here," the police officer said. "So, you last saw Finn this evening?"

"Yeah," Puck said.

"Was he okay?" the police asked. "Anything happen to upset him lately?"

"Yeah, he was fine," Puck said. "He was stressed about an upcoming test, but he was fine. He didn't run away or anything like that."

"Are you sure he didn't run away?" the officer asked.

"Why would he?" Puck asked. "There was no reason for him to."

"What was he wearing?" the officer asked.

Puck paused to think. "I think he was wearing jeans, and a striped shirt. I'm not really sure. Too bad Finn's brother's not here, he'd totally remember."

The police officers turned to Burt and Carole. "Would your other son have any idea where Finn is?"

"He goes to school in New York," Burt said. "I doubt he knows anything." They didn't want to tell Kurt and worry him. At least not yet. For all anyone knew, Finn might be fine.

"You should call him," the police officer said. "Maybe he knows something."

Carole tried to think of a way to tell Kurt without giving things away. Instead she just sent Kurt a text. "Has Finn mentioned coming to New York any time soon?"

Kurt texted back. "We talked yesterday, he's doing great. He's talking about coming this summer."

So Kurt didn't know where Finn was. Things were looking worse and worse. Carole looked at the police. "No information from our other son." Where was Finn? He would be found soon... right?


	2. Chapter 2: Pain

_Hi everyone! Thanks for your reviews. I appreciate them. Like I said, I was nervous to write this story since I know Finn is a VERY sensitive issue, so I was relieved that you guys liked what I'm doing. And I hope 2015 is off to a good start for all of you! Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going.  
_

Chapter 2: Pain

Burt and Carole stood in their living room, looking at the picture of Finn the day that he was born in the kitchen. The police still hadn't called with any word about where Finn was. Finn still wasn't answering his phone. Where was he?

"Finn's a big guy," Burt said. "He'd be hard to miss."

"Yeah, but people could have seen him," Carole said, still staring at the picture of Baby Finn. It was the first photo ever taken of Finn. August 24, 1994. It felt like it was yesterday.

x

Christopher was gone again.

Ever since he returned from the war, Christopher would disappear for days at a time. This was just about the worst possible time for him to disappear. He knew that the baby was due any day now. And here Carole was in the hospital with her parents, wondering where her husband was. She wanted him there when the baby was born.

"You need to push," the doctor said. "The baby's almost here."

"But my husband..." Carole began.

"He'll have this child's whole life to be with them," the doctor said. "This child wants to come out."

Carole grabbed her parents' hands and made a few pushes. Then after a few minutes... cries filled the room.

"Congratulations," the doctor said. "It's a healthy, beautiful baby boy."

A little boy. Carole looked at the baby in the doctor's hands when the doctors went to clean him off. A few minutes later, the doctors brought the baby back, and Carole looked at him.

He was perfect. Not that Carole expected anything less.

"Nine pounds six ounces," the doctor said. "Do we have a name for this little guy?"

Yes. They did. Carole and Christopher had picked out a name for both genders months ago. "Finnegan. Finnegan Christopher Hudson." She looked at the baby. "Hi, beautiful. I'm so glad you're finally here."

"Our first grandbaby," Carole's mother said.

"He's so handsome," her father added.

"Carole?" Carole looked up and saw Christopher.

"Honey," Carole began. She wanted to stop herself from getting mad at her husband, but she couldn't help but be. Why hadn't he been there? "He's here. Our little boy. Our sweet Finnegan."

Christopher came over and picked up the baby. "Hey there, little guy. I'm your daddy. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there when you were first born. But I'm so glad you're here."

x

"I'm sure he's okay," Burt told Carole. "This is Finn we're talking about. He's strong."

"Yeah, but you don't know unless you know," Carole said. "I was just thinking about the day he was born... the day this photo was taken... and I fell in love with him right away."

Before Burt could say anything, the phone rang. Burt went to answer it, and Carole listened to his end of the conversation. "Hello? Yes, this is Finn Hudson's stepfather... yes, he was at your store that night... you think you saw him on the security cameras? Okay, thank you so much! Please get those to the police."

Burt hung up the phone and turned to Carole. "Carole, they found video footage of Finn on the CVS security cameras. They're going to show those to the police."

x

Finn opened his eyes, still trapped in the basement of the house of his abductor and his abductor's apparent roommates. Four people lived in this house, two men and two women. When his abductor had brought him to the house the previous night, the roommates didn't question it.

What type of people were they? Showing up with a person wasn't something people just did. Finn couldn't stop asking himself: why had he been abducted? Why was he here? He didn't even know who these people were.

He'd barely gotten any sleep last night. He'd heard the house's residents upstairs all night. It sounded like they were drunk. Finn was also sure that he'd smelled weed. At least since they'd been up late into the night, there was a possibility that they were asleep now. Maybe now he could get out.

Last night Finn's abductor had pushed him down the stairs of the basement. He'd bled a lot, and his head, back and leg still hurt from being pushed, but maybe now he could make an escape. Finn didn't want to try to escape when he knew they were awake because he was afraid of what they'd do to him.

Finn started limping up the stairs. His leg hurt, but this was worth it. He didn't feel safe here and he didn't know why this had happened to him. When he got to the door of the basement, he could tell that it was locked from the outside. Panicking, Finn looked around for a tool to open the door with. He saw a screw driver and tried to start screwing off the doorknob, hoping to be able to reach through and get to the lock.

As Finn began to unscrew, the door opened. He looked and saw the other male resident of the house. "Thought you could get away, did you?" the man sneered. Finn could smell alcohol and marijuana on this guy's breath.

Finn didn't say anything. He tried to run as best as he could with his sore leg, but he'd only made a few steps when the man tackled him. "You thought wrong!" the man shouted, pushing Finn over.

Now Finn's back hurt even more. He felt tears coming to his eyes. "Oh, are you going to cry?" the man asked.

Finn bit his lip. "Why are you doing this to me?"

The man didn't answer. Finn did his best to stand up, but it hurt to stand on his leg. The man pushed Finn down toward the basement stairs, and Finn felt his body bounce against the stairs as he fell.

x

Kurt sat in his room at the loft, working on an assignment for NYADA, when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was his dad. He picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Kurt..." Burt began.

Kurt knew what this call was about. There had been an error with his dad's screening. The cancer was still there, and it had spread. "Dad?"

"Kurt..." Burt began again. "I don't want to have to tell you this..."

Now Kurt already knew. "Dad, how bad is it? Do I need to come home and take care of you?"

"This isn't about me," Burt said. "It's about Finn."

"What about Finn?" Kurt asked. Finn was 100% okay, as far as he knew. He was doing okay at school, he was in good health, and he and Rachel seemed to be making their way back to each other.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but Finn's gone missing," Burt said.

Kurt fell backwards. He could tell this was serious by the tone of his dad's voice. He'd never heard his dad sound more worried. "What? When?"

"He went to CVS last night and never came back," Burt said. "The police are investigating... but we don't have any idea where he is."

Kurt began panicking. He'd tried calling Finn earlier today, but the phone went straight to voicemail. And then last night his dad had asked him if he'd talked to Finn lately... it was all making sense and coming together. Where was Finn? Was he okay? Finn was pretty happy right now, so why would he run away?

"What else do we know?" Kurt managed to ask.

"Well, CVS found footage of him on their security cameras," Burt said. "Police are investigating everything, but all I really know is what I've told you. I just... I didn't want to worry you, but this isn't the type of thing I should keep from you."

"I'm glad you told me," Kurt said. "I'm coming back there." He wasn't going to let his parents go through something like this without him. He just wanted Finn home and safe. And he was going to do everything he could to make sure that happened."

"I booked two tickets back to Ohio for you," Burt said. "I thought someone else might want to come with you..."

"Adam?" Kurt asked. "But he never even met Finn..." Also, it would be so uncomfortable for Adam and Blaine to meet.

"I think you know who I'm talking about, Kurt," Burt said.

Then Kurt knew. Rachel. Oh no, Rachel. How would she react when she found out? Kurt knew how much Rachel loved Finn? Even though they were broken up, she talked about Finn a lot, and he knew that the reason she couldn't commit to Brody was because she was still in love with Finn. "I'll ask her. Maybe have her dads call her and tell her?"

"Kurt, I think you should tell her," Burt said. "I'd want you to hear in person, but I felt like I needed to be the one to tell you."

"Okay, I'll tell her," Kurt said. "I hope he's okay."

"We all do," Burt said. "We all love Finn."

"I just wish we knew where he was," Kurt said. "People don't just disappear." He had a gut feeling that something bad had happened to Finn last night. Why else would Finn not have gotten in contact with anyone?

"The best we can do is stay positive," Burt said. "Police are searching for Finn very carefully. Carole and I want you here with us. That's why I booked the plane for you."

"Of course," Kurt said. He wanted to be home. He didn't want to be away from his family after what happened. He wanted to be with his parents... and Blaine...

"I'll text you your ticket numbers," Burt said. "You don't need to pack too much. You have clothes at home..."

"Okay Dad," Kurt said. "I love you." He wished there was something right to say. He didn't know what to say. All he could think about was Finn, wherever he was.

"I love you too, Kurt," Burt said.

x

Rachel got home from work at the diner. After she and Santana had sang for the director and star of Funny Girl, she liked to think she'd given herself another shot, but she didn't know. When she got home, she saw Kurt in the living room, looking upset. "Hey," Rachel said. "Are you okay?"

"Can you sit down, Rachel?" Kurt asked.

This was odd. Rachel sat down. "Of course."

"My dad just called," Kurt said.

"What did he say?" Rachel asked.

"Finn's missing," Kurt said. "He went to CVS last night and he never came back. He's not answering his phone. No one has any idea where he is. Police are searching for him."

Rachel felt like she was having a heart attack. She didn't want to believe what Kurt was telling her. The boy she loved more than anyone else in the world was missing. No one knew where he was. "No. No. No."

"My dad booked tickets to Ohio for us so we can go help look for him," Kurt said.

"I don't believe this," Rachel said. She didn't want to believe this. She and Finn were talking again, sure. And she wanted to get back together with him. But she hadn't flat out told him that. And for all he knew, she didn't want to get back with him. Maybe he thought she only liked him as a friend. She still loved him. What if he was dead and had died thinking she didn't love him anymore? Finn didn't deserve to die young. He had his whole life ahead of him. He was a wonderful person...

Kurt interrupted Rachel's thoughts. "Do you want to go back to Ohio with me to look for him?"

"Yeah," Rachel managed to say. "Yeah, I do." She just hoped Finn was okay and would be found soon.


	3. Chapter 3: The Jacket

_Hi guys! Thanks so much for all your support so far. I've really appreciated reading all your reviews. This chapter has a pretty big development in it, and just a heads up, we might not be seeing Finn for a few chapters after this. He might be in the next one, but most of the story after this will focus on his family and friends. Enjoy and review if you want me to keep going!  
_

Chapter 3: The Jacket

Finn was still stuck in the basement.

He didn't have his phone with him so there was no way to call anyone to ask them to get him. Every time he tried to leave the basement, one of the house's residents was waiting by the basement door and would push him down the stairs. From all his times being pushed down the stairs, Finn's body was hurting more and more. It hurt him too much to walk without the support of the railing. He hadn't had anything to eat in days, and the only thing he'd had to drink was water from the basement sink, which getting to was a challenge.

The door opened, and one of the female residents of the house came down. "So," she said, sneering. "How are you today?"

"Stop it," Finn snapped. "I'm tired of this and I want to go home." He wanted to be with his mom. And Burt, and Kurt, and Mr. Schue, and the New Directions... and Rachel.

"Well, you're not going to go home," the female resident snapped. "Are you hungry?"

Was he hungry? Yes. He was hungry. But should he say he was? What if they tried to give him something that would make him sick, something with poison in it?

"Well, you're big, so I bet you're hungry," the resident said, handing Finn a bagel.

Seeing food in front of him made Finn not even want to hold back. He grabbed the bagel and ate it quickly. "Thank you. Look, I don't know why you did this to me, but I'm really sore, and I'm hungry, and I want to go home." If she'd brought him food, maybe she wasn't all bad. Finn tried to stand up, and the female resident extended her hand. Finn took her hand, but she pushed Finn over again. This time, Finn hit his head hard against the wall. The woman then reached her hand into Finn's pants...

Finn slapped her hand away. In addition to being physically abused, now she was trying to sexually abuse him? "Don't touch me!" Finn shouted. "Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

"I can't tell you," the woman said as she was leaving.

So there was a reason why this was happening. Finn managed to pull himself up and started to follow her, limping as best he could. "I don't know who you are. Or who any of the people you live with are. Why are you doing this to me?"

The woman turned and held up a knife. "Stop it. We can do much worse than what we've been doing, you stupid little ass."

x

Rachel lay awake in her bedroom, not being able to get Finn out of her head. Finn was missing. The last time she'd seen Finn, she left the room while he was still asleep. She'd barely slept since she heard that Finn was missing. All she could think about was all the times they'd had together, both the good times and the bad times. She just hoped wherever Finn was, he was okay.

Rachel was glad she was home in Ohio with her dads. She loved New York, but there was something special about being with her dads. They knew how to act with her right now, with everything that was going on. It was also good to be with lots of other people who knew Finn and loved him and wanted him to be okay. Yesterday she and Kurt had gone with the current members of New Directions to put up posters around Lima and nearby towns looking for Finn. Of course she was already friends with Blaine, Tina, Sam and Artie from her time, but she'd never really talked with Marley, Unique, Ryder, Jake and Kitty before, and it was the first time she'd met Kylie, Jack and Lily, the members who'd been recruited to fill the seats left by Brittany, Sugar and Joe. Puck had come over from University of Lima to help as well, and Santana would be coming from New York this weekend, as would Mike from Chicago.

Rachel heard a knock on her bedroom door. She looked up and saw her dads. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Sweetie, the police want to talk to you downstairs," LeRoy said.

The police? The police wanted to talk to Rachel? "What?" Rachel asked. "I haven't seen Finn in months..."

Hiram moved closer to Rachel. "Rachel, you're an ex-girlfriend. In situations like this, ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends often tend to be suspects."

Rachel wanted to throw up. The police thought she might have done something to Finn? She would never hurt Finn. She loved him. She still loved him, even though they'd broken up. "Dad, Daddy, you have to understand, I'd never hurt Finn! I'm worried like crazy about him! You saw that I spent all day yesterday putting up those posters."

"I know, baby," LeRoy said. "The police just want to talk to you. We'll be with you when they talk to you."

Rachel sighed. "Okay." She followed her dads downstairs and saw two police officers sitting in her living room. "Hi."

"You're Rachel Berry?" one of the police officers asked.

"Yes," Rachel said. She didn't know what to say. Of course she had no idea where Finn was. It was bad enough that the police thought she'd done something. What if she said the wrong thing?

"So, you're Finn's ex-girlfriend?" the other officer asked.

Rachel sighed. "Yes."

"When did you and Finn date?" the first officer asked.

Rachel sighed as she told the police her history with Finn. She knew she shouldn't hide things in situations like this. There were so many things she regretted and she worried would make her look bad - how she made out with Puck their junior year, how she'd yelled at him this fall, how she'd left the room while he was still sleeping at the wedding.

"I see," the police officer said. "Rachel, do you have any idea where Finn is?"

Here it came. Rachel knew this question was coming, but she was sad to hear it nonetheless. "I don't know. I just hope he's okay."

"So you wouldn't do anything to hurt Finn?" the officer asked.

"Of course not," Rachel said. "I still love Finn. I've always loved him."

"When was the last time you talked to him?" the officer asked.

"A few weeks ago," Rachel said. "I miss him. I just hope he's okay, wherever he is." She wished it hadn't been that long ago that they'd talked...

"Rachel loves Finn," Hiram blurted out. "They didn't break up because they didn't love each other anymore. They broke up because the timing wasn't right for them at this time."

Rachel was glad that her dad was with her to help. "Yeah, it's like he said," Rachel said. "I love Finn and I wanted more than anything to get back together with him some day. I'm so worried about him."

"Well, if we have any other questions for you, we'll let you know," the police officer continued. "Thank you for your time."

This hadn't been as bad as she'd feared it would be, but Rachel was still pretty upset. Finn still hadn't been found, and the police had asked to talk to her.

x

"We saw the posters that your other son put up," a police officer told Burt and Carole. Burt and Carole had gone to the police station to check up on things, but it didn't look like any progress had been made.

"So there's still no sign of Finn?" Carole asked.

"We saw the video camera footage from CVS," the officer continued. "There were some things on the street Finn headed down. We're looking into it to see if those things belonged to Finn."

Some of Finn's things had been found? Carole had a feeling that those things were Finn's... "Maybe ask the residents of that street if they saw Finn?" Carole asked.

"Well, the houses on that street are pretty blocked off," the police officer continued. "Most of the houses are pretty far up from the sidewalk or at the end of the driveways..."

"So you don't think anyone saw Finn?" Burt asked.

"I don't think so," the police officer continued. "You did mention that posters have been put up all over the nearby area for Finn, and we've seen lots of them. If somebody sees Finn, they'll call us, or call you."

x

Meanwhile, the New Directions sat in the choir room. They were supposed to be preparing for Nationals, but Nationals wasn't really on anyone's mind. All anyone could think about was Finn. Even though the three new members hadn't been recruited until after Regionals, and Finn had been overwhelmed with school stuff to help out much since he started college, they could still feel the change in the dynamic. It was because of Finn that they'd even made it to Regionals, and going to Nationals without Finn wouldn't feel right.

"What should we do?" Kitty asked as Mr. Schue came in.

Mr. Schue looked at the class. "We're doing the best we can do. You guys put up all those posters yesterday. You looked around town for Finn. I'm sure he'll be found."

"It's just horrible," Sam said. "Not knowing where he is, or if he's okay..."

"I know it is," Mr. Schue said. "I'm really worried about Finn myself. He's a really important part of not just this group, but in all our lives."

"Why did he have to go out that night?" Blaine asked.

"I don't know," Mr. Schue said. "The best we can do is stay positive for Finn, and for his parents and Kurt."

"Do you think he ran away?" Unique asked. "Or someone took him?"

"I don't know," Mr. Schue said. "He's got to be out there somewhere."

"Yeah, but where?" Artie asked.

"This whole thing is so weird," Ryder said. "Finn's not the type to do things like this."

"And why would someone take him?" Marley asked. "He's a good person."

"I don't know," Mr. Schue said. "I don't know anything. I just know that we need to not give up. Finn wouldn't give up if this was any of you. And he'd also want us to do well at Nationals."

x

The police had called Burt and Carole to meet them at the office. Burt, Carole and Kurt drove to the office in silence. If it was good news, the police probably would have told them over the phone rather than asking them to meet them there.

When they arrived at the office, two police officers were waiting for the family. "Hello," one of them said blankly. "Could you come into this room with us?"

"Of course," Burt said. The family followed the officers into the room, where another officer was waiting.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, we have some news," the police officer said. He held up a jacket. Right away, the family recognized this jacket. It was Finn's. "Do you recognize this jacket?"

"Yes," Carole said. "That's Finn's..."

"We found this jacket on Belbner Road, behind CVS," the police officer continued. He held up a wallet and a phone. "Along with these."

The family sat there in shock. That was Finn's phone. The officer opened the wallet, revealing Finn's driver's license.

"So, you found Finn's things," Burt began. "But where's Finn?"

"That's what we were going to get to," the officer continued. He opened the jacket. There was blood on it. Quite a bit of blood.

Carole started crying as Burt hugged his wife. Kurt looked at the police officer. "So, is that Finn's blood?"

"We're going to have to do a DNA test," the officer said. "But this is Finn's jacket... and it was found with Finn's phone and wallet..."

This was worse than anyone could have imagined. If Finn's jacket was bloody, someone could had more than likely hurt him.


	4. Chapter 4: Could Have Been Killed

_Hi guys! Thanks so much for all your support so far. I've really appreciated reading all your reviews. This chapter has a pretty big development in it, and just a heads up, we might not be seeing Finn for a few chapters after this. He might be in the next one, but most of the story after this will focus on his family and friends. Enjoy and review if you want me to keep going!_

Chapter 4: Could Have Been Killed

Finn lay on the floor of the basement, asking himself so many questions. Was there any hope for him getting out of here? Maybe once the pain went away, he could find a way out... He looked around the basement. The windows were pretty high up, but if he put together a ladder, maybe he could break a window and get out.

The basement door opened and Finn heard footsteps coming downstairs. He groaned to himself. The house's residents would come down and hit him every now and then. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve this. He wasn't sure if he was more nervous when the male residents or the female residents came downstairs. The male residents were bigger and stronger and could hurt him more, but he was always afraid that the female residents would rape or assault him. After all, the one female resident had put her hands in his pants...

Finn looked as one of the male residents of the house came into the basement. Not the one who'd brought him here, the other one.

"What do you want?" Finn snapped.

"Hey, watch your tone," the man said.

"Just tell me," Finn demanded. "Why? Why am I here? Why are you and your friends doing these things to me? I've never seen any of you before in my life."

"You shouldn't ask questions you're not going to get answers to," the man said. "No one's going to tell you why you're here, but I can tell you that it's for a good reason. Anyway, here's something for you." He handed Finn a single piece of cheese.

Finn was hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since the bagel. Why were they bringing him food if they wanted to hurt him so badly? Finn ate the cheese. "Thank you. I just want to go home."

"Well, you're not going home," the man said.

Despite the pain of being pushed around, Finn forced himself to stand up. "I'm so sick of this and I'm going to get out of here."

The man shoved Finn into the wall. "You're not getting out of here. You are going to rot here." He pushed Finn over and hit his back with a broken off piece of the railing.

Finn couldn't hold it in anymore. All the pain these people had caused him just made him want to cry.

And now he was crying.

"Don't cry!" the man shouted, grabbing Finn's throat. "We could kill you if we wanted to! We can still kill you!"

We can still kill you. Why would they want to kill him? What had he done to make these people hate him so much?

Finn closed his eyes as he felt himself being hit with a large object. He wasn't even sure how much more of this his body could take. But then he felt something he hadn't felt before - something he was sure would do more damage than anything else yet.

x

Burt, Carole and Kurt sat in Finn's bedroom. None of them were able to get the image of Finn's bloody jacket out of their minds. If Finn's jacket had blood on it, it was most likely Finn's blood. And the more time went by, the less hope they had for finding Finn.

Carole was sitting on Finn's bed, looking around the room. The room was still how Finn had left it the last time he'd come home for a weekend. Most of his prized posessions were still there, and his bed was still made. Burt was pacing around the room, while Kurt was flipping through Finn's closet.

Kurt heard the doorbell ring. How he wished that it was Finn, but he knew it wasn't. "I'll go get it," he told his parents.

"Thanks, Kurt," Burt said, sitting next to Carole on Finn's bed.

Kurt went downstairs and saw Blaine at the door. "Hi," Blaine said.

Even though they were broken up right now, Kurt was glad Blaine was here. He knew he needed him right now. "Hi. Want to come in?"

"Yeah, sure," Blaine said. "I just... I've been thinking about you and your family so much, and I..."

"Thanks for coming," Kurt said, letting Blaine in. "You can probably tell that this has been a hard time."

"Yeah, it has," Blaine agreed. "It's been hard for all of us, and we were just his friends... you and your parents... you're his family..."

Kurt decided to tell Blaine about the latest discovery. "Blaine, the police found Finn's jacket, phone and wallet on the street behind CVS. The jacket had blood on it."

Blaine looked horrified. "Blood?"

"Yeah, blood," Kurt said. He started crying. Since his parents were upstairs, he finally got the courage to say the thought that had been in the back of his mind, but that he didn't want to say out loud. "What if somebody killed him?"

Blaine stuttered, not seeming to know what to say. Kurt didn't know what the right thing for Blaine to say would be. There were no right things to say now. And now that Kurt had said what he'd been fearing, the possibility seemed so much more real.

"Finn didn't deserve this," Blaine said.

"He didn't," Kurt sobbed. "He should be getting ready to take you guys to Nationals, and enjoying his time at college... and now I'm just hoping that wherever he is, he's still alive."

"I know," Blaine said softly. "I know."

"Even if he's dead, I want to know where he is," Kurt continued.

"Don't think like that," Blaine said. "You've got to be positive, for Finn's sake."

"It's so damn hard," Kurt said. "It's been days and there's still no word from him. No progress, unless you count finding his things."

"Well, that is something, isn't it?" Blaine asked.

"I guess," Kurt said. He didn't want Finn's things. He wanted Finn.

"I'm so, so sorry you have to go through this," Blaine said. "I know we're not together right now, but I love you, and I don't want to see you and your family suffer. I love your family and Finn's an amazing person. So many people out there want him to be found and to come home safe."

"I know," Kurt said. "I know. Blaine, at times I don't even know what to think or what to feel. I just want Finn back okay..."

"Of course you do," Blaine said. "If I was in this situation, I wouldn't know what to think or feel either."

Burt came downstairs. "Kurt... oh, hi Blaine."

"Hi Burt," Blaine said. "I hope you don't mind that I came by. With everything that you guys are going through, and how important your family is to me, I wanted to come check up on you."

"Thank you," Burt said. "I appreciate that."

"Kurt told me," Blaine continued. "That Finn's stuff was found..."

"Yeah," Burt said. "Having Finn's things found..."

Kurt could tell by the look on his dad's face that his dad had the same fears he did, but didn't want to say it out loud. "You can say it, Dad," Kurt said. "Finn's probably dead."

"We don't know anything for sure..." Burt began.

"You don't need to try to protect me," Kurt said. "I know. Just like I knew that Mom was dying when I was little."

"You shouldn't keep insisting that he's dead," Blaine said. "He might be out there, okay..."

"Maybe," Kurt mumbled. He doubted Finn was okay though.

The doorbell rang again. This time, Burt went to the door. Kurt looked over and saw the police from earlier.

"Hi Mr. Hummel," one of them said. "Is your wife home?"

"Yes, she's upstairs," Burt said.

"Could you go get her?" the other officer asked.

This wasn't good. Kurt knew it. He hadn't done it in a while, but he held Blaine's hand tightly as Burt went upstairs.

The police officers looked at Kurt and Blaine. "Are you a friend of the boys?" one officer asked Blaine.

"Yeah, I am," Blaine said, making Kurt feel better about Blaine leaving their history out of the conversation.

"Well, it's a good thing you're here for them," the other said.

Burt and Carole came back downstairs. "So, do you have any news about Finn?" Carole asked.

"We do," the officer said. "The DNA test on Finn's jacket came back."

"And?" Kurt asked, gripping tighter on to Blaine's hand.

"The test confirmed that the blood on the jacket was Finn's," the officer continued.

Kurt knew as soon as they saw the jacket that the blood was Finn's, but now it was confirmed. And Kurt felt the tears coming back.

"Well?" Burt asked.

"There's no good way to say this," the officer continued. "Finn's nowhere to be found. The area's been being searched for days. His phone and his wallet aren't with him. There's blood on his jacket." The officer sighed before sympathetically looking at the family. "We're very, very sorry, but we think that Finn could have been killed."

Kurt had been talking about that earlier, but now the police officer was saying it. It was really a possibility. He knew that it was a possibility, but he didn't want it to be likely. Kurt looked up at the officers. "Don't say that."

"Mr. Hummel..." the officer began.

"Don't," Kurt snapped. "Finn's young. Why would somebody kill him?" Who in this world was that cruel? Cruel enough to kill an eighteen year old with a kind heart who loved his family and friends? Was there really someone out there who hated Finn that much?

"We don't know," the officer said. "Please, know that we're taking this very seriously, and we're doing everything we can to find Finn... or find the body..."

"Find the body?" Kurt snapped.

"We know that this is hard," the officer said. "And we will get in contact with support services to send to your home..."

"I don't want support services," Kurt snapped. "I want Finn back."

"Kurt, please watch your mouth with authority figures," Burt said weakly.

One of the officers looked at Burt. "It's okay. We know he's upset. And we are so, so sorry. Like I said, we're going to do everything we can to find out where Finn is, and to find out who's responsible... do you want us to go talk to the ex-girlfriend again? Maybe talk to her fathers?"

The ex-girlfriend. Rachel. How was she going to feel when she found out that Finn, the love of her life, could have been KILLED?

Carole finally spoke. "Please leave that poor girl alone. We know how much she loved Finn. She's just as broken as we are... and when she finds out about this, she'll be devastated."

"Okay," the officer said. "Just in cases like these, exes are often guilty..."

"Rachel would never, ever do anything to Finn," Burt said.

"All right," the other officer said. "I hope you know, we're taking this very, very seriously. We're going to make sure that Finn is found - and we really, really hope that he's found alive. And the person who is responsible for this is very likely going to be receiving the maximum sentence."

"Thank you," Burt said. "Just give us a call if there's any more updates."

The officers left the house, leaving the family there. Kurt couldn't get what they'd said out of his mind. They thought that Finn had been killed. He just collapsed into Blaine's arms, sobbing.


	5. Chapter 5: Just An Ex-Girlfriend

_Hey everyone. Thanks so much for all the support on the last chapter. It means a lot. Just a reminder - just because the police thinks that Finn might have been killed and we won't be seeing him for a few chapters does NOT mean he's dead. He might be alive, for all we know. You'll just have to keep reading to find out. Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 5: Just An Ex-Girlfriend

Rachel sat in her bedroom at her dads' house, working on an assignment for her history of musical theatre class at NYADA. She'd talking to her professors about why she was going home for a few days and surprisingly enough, they were understanding. However, she would have to submit her assignments electronically. Rachel couldn't focus on her schoolwork now though. She just couldn't stop thinking about Finn.

Rachel looked around her bedroom. Photos of her and Finn were all over. They'd had so many good memories during the three years they were together in glee club. And then after graduation, everything fell apart.

In a way, she blamed herself for what happened. No, she completely blamed herself. This was all her fault. If she hadn't been so hardcore about going to Broadway and New York for the first eighteen years of her life, Finn wouldn't have felt the need to put her on that train that day.

This had definitely been the worst year of her life. NYADA wasn't what she'd expected or hoped. Everyone there was like her early high school self and saw everyone else as competition, and no one was very nice to each other. Going to classes felt like when her dads would tell her to clean her room when she was little, and of course there was Cassandra July. That woman was nuts... Rachel was sure that she was just trying to get on Rachel's good side when she acted happy for her to get the callback.

And then there was Brody. Rachel had only started dating him in the first place because she missed Finn so much. She didn't have feelings for Brody. Something about him had seemed off to her from the beginning. But he'd acted interested in her, and she figured that something would be better than nothing. Then of course she found out that he was a gigolo. Why had he acted interested in her when there were probably plenty of women that PAID him to sleep with them who were more attractive than she was? And he could have put her in serious danger - she had been so relieved when her test came back clean.

She probably would have enjoyed the past year if she and Finn had been together. She wouldn't have had to deal with Brody and Cassandra. He wouldn't have kissed Miss Pillsbury, dealt with Mr. Schue being angry at him... and maybe he wouldn't have disappeared that night.

Rachel's dads came into her room. She looked up at them. "Hey." Seeing the sad looks on her dads' faces, she had a feeling this had something to do with Finn.

"Hi honey," Hiram said. "Burt just called."

Rachel didn't know what to say to that. There was news about Finn. "Well?"

"Some of Finn's things were found on the street behind CVS," Hiram continued. "His cell phone, his wallet and his jacket."

So some of Finn's things were found, but Finn wasn't. "And?" Rachel asked, not knowing if she wanted to hear what would come next.

"There was a lot of blood on Finn's jacket," LeRoy said. "The police had a DNA test done and confirmed that it was Finn's blood. The police now think that Finn was killed."

"No!" Rachel shouted, breaking down. Killed? She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. "He can't! He can't have been killed!"

Rachel's dads sat with her on the bed. "We can't imagine how you're feeling now, sweetheart," Hiram said. "And we're so sorry..."

Rachel continued sobbing. She didn't know how to put into words how she was feeling. She felt like she'd been killed on the inside. There was blood on Finn's jacket. Someone had hurt him, they might have killed him.

The doorbell rang, and Rachel stayed in her room as her dads went downstairs. She heard a voice talking to her dads. "Mr. and Mr. Berry, I'm Officer Michael Jones," a voice said. "This is Officer Kevin Smith. We're part of the investigation team for the Finn Hudson case and we'd like to speak to your daughter."

The police wanted to talk to her again? Rachel couldn't believe it. Maybe if they saw how broken she was, they'd leave her alone...

"Is this really necessary?" Hiram asked. "We just told her about the blood, and that the team thinks Finn might have been killed... she's really upset."

"We're sorry, it won't take long," another voice said. "But with no word from Finn and with the latest development, nearly everyone is a suspect. We need to get more information before we clear her name."

Rachel didn't know what to say to that. She stayed upstairs crying as her dads came into her room with the police officers. "Rachel, this is Officer Jones and Officer Smith," LeRoy said. "They're part of the team working on Finn's case and they'd like to talk to you."

Rachel wiped her tears, figuring there was no use in arguing. She looked at the officers. "I know that Finn's jacket was found with blood on it. I know that you think he's dead. But I don't think he's dead. I don't want to think he's dead. I don't know what your colleagues who came by before told you, but I would never hurt Finn. I love him so much."

"Rachel, do you know ANYTHING about this?" Officer Smith asked. "This is a serious crime."

"I don't know anything," Rachel sobbed. "All I know is that I just want Finn to be home safe."

"Rachel loves Finn," Hiram said. "Can't you see how upset she is? Does this look like someone who kidnapped or killed him?"

"We're sorry, Mr. Berry, but the officer in charge of the investigation asked us to come here," Officer Jones said. "Was there any hostility between you and Finn at this time, Rachel?"

"No," Rachel said, wiping her tears. "We were on the way to getting back together. I loved him and he loved me. We talked on the phone not too long before he disappeared, and we spent a lot of time together last time I was in town... I'm so worried about him and I just want him to be home, safe. I don't know who took him and I want whoever took him behind bars."

The officers looked at each other, then at Rachel's dads. "Mr. and Mr. Berry, are you 100% sure your daughter had nothing to do with this?" Officer Smith asked. "I'm a dad myself, and I know we want to protect our children..."

"Can't you see how upset she is?" Hiram asked. "We know our daughter. She would never let anything bad happen to Finn."

"Okay, thank you," Officer Jones said. "We'll be in touch."

Rachel kept crying after the police left. She couldn't believe that Finn could have been killed and that the police thought she'd done something to him.

x

Rachel barely slept that night. All she could think about was Finn. She couldn't get the thought out of her head that Finn might be dead. There were so many things she wanted to say to Finn and do with him that she never got a chance to. There were so many things Finn could have done in the world that he never had a chance to do either.

Rachel heard a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she mumbled.

Rachel looked up and saw Hiram coming in. "Hi baby."

"Hi," Rachel said softly.

"Did you sleep last night?" Hiram asked.

"Barely," Rachel admitted. "I just... I couldn't stop thinking about Finn. I hope he's still out there, Dad. He has to be."

"We can just keep hoping," Hiram said. "Your dad was just talking to Finn's mom. They were hoping we could come over. Would you like to go see them?"  
"Yeah," Rachel mumbled. "Yeah, that'd be good." At least she could be with other people who loved Finn and were feeling the pain.

x

Still feeling in a trance, Rachel walked up with her dads to the Hudson-Hummel house. LeRoy rang the doorbell as Hiram held the dinner they'd made them.

To Rachel's surprise, Blaine answered the door. "Hey," Blaine said. "Thanks for coming over."

"I wasn't expecting to see you," Rachel said, giving Blaine a hug.

"Well, with everything that's going on, I wanted to be here for Kurt," Blaine admitted.

"I know," Rachel said. She knew that even though they weren't together, Kurt and Blaine still loved each other.

Just like she and Finn did.

"Come on in," Blaine said. "I'm sure Burt, Carole and Kurt will be glad to see you." He led Rachel and her dads into the living room, where Kurt and his parents were sitting.

Kurt looked up at Rachel. "Hi Rachel."

Rachel went over and gave her best friend a hug. It was true that she was hurting, but she knew no one was hurting more than Finn's parents and brother. "I'm so sorry," Rachel whispered as she hugged Kurt close.

"I just don't understand," Kurt whispered. "Why? Why Finn? And why now?"

"I don't know," Rachel said, feeling her tears coming back. "I don't know." She looked over at Burt and Carole. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Thank you sweetie," Carole said, patting Rachel's back. "He loved you, you know that, right?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. I know. I loved him too, so much." She hated talking about Finn in past tense, but he was still nowhere to be found, and the blood on his jacket was discouraging. The police had gone to school to deal with cases like these. If they thought Finn was dead...

"Thank you for everything you gave him," Carole said to Rachel. "You made him so happy. Whenever he talked about you, his face lit up."

"I'm so glad to hear that," Rachel said, some tears falling. "I just wish the police would realize that..."

"The police?" Blaine asked.

"They came to our house again to question Rachel," LeRoy said.

"We told them to leave her alone," Burt said.

"I don't really care," Rachel admitted. "I just want Finn to be found."

"We don't know what's going on," Blaine encouraged. "Finn might be okay, for all we know."

"I hope," Rachel said. All she could do was hope.

The doorbell rang, and Burt went to answer it. Rachel looked up a few minutes later and saw Mr. Schue coming in with flowers, with the other current members of New Directions behind him. "Hi," Mr. Schue said. "I hope you don't mind that we came by. After hearing the news this morning, none of them really felt up to going to class today. So we thought we'd come over."

"It was on the news this morning," Artie said sadly.

"This is horrible," Ryder added. "Finn was such a great leader."

"Thank you for being here," Carole said.

"Finn loved working with you guys," Rachel told the group. "I know he did."

"He would have been a really great teacher," Sam said.

"He would have," Marley said. "He was an amazing leader."

"Finn was really one of a kind," Mr. Schue said. "He had that special way of connecting with people, of making them feel special, of letting them know they belonged. He saw the best in everyone, and he always was there for you."

"Yeah, that sounds like Finn," Kurt said. "He was the type of person you could always turn to and you knew you wouldn't be judged."

Then Tina looked at Rachel. "How are you holding up?"

Rachel shrugged. "As well as I can."

"Well, we're all here for you and for Finn's family," Sam said.

"Don't worry about me," Rachel sighed. "I'm just an ex-girlfriend."

"Honey, don't say that about yourself," Carole said. "You may have been broken up, but Finn loved you."

"He just... he has to be okay," Rachel said. But she didn't know if he would even be found, or if he'd be found alive.


	6. Chapter 6: The Knife

_Hi guys. Thanks so much for your support of the last chapter. I really appreciate it. Just to warn you - this chapter might upset some people because of the contact, but don't give up on hope for Finn. I won't say if he's okay or not, but I won't say he isn't okay. Hope you enjoy and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 6: The Knife

Ever since the Hudson-Hummel family received word that Finn might have been killed, Kurt, Burt and Carole had barely eaten or slept. The New Directions, alumni and Mr. Schue had been in and out over the past few days, as had some of Burt and Carole's co workers, but no one could do anything.

It was about eight in the morning, and Kurt hadn't slept the previous night. He'd heard Burt and Carole talking the previous night, making plans for a service for Finn. He couldn't believe they were already talking about planning a service. A body hadn't even been found yet.

He liked to believe that Finn was still alive. He had to be alive. Finn still needed to finish college, start his teaching career, get married, have children... he still had his whole life ahead of him.

Then Kurt heard the doorbell ring. He looked out the window and saw a police car. Great. Had they found Finn's body?

Kurt went to the door and saw two police officers there. "Hi Kurt," one of them said as Kurt opened the door.

"Hi," Kurt sighed. "Should I get my parents?"

"Yeah, you should," the other officer said.

This wasn't good. Kurt went upstairs and saw Burt and Carole sitting on their bed. "The police are here."

"Oh God," Carole sighed. "What now?"

"I don't know," Kurt said.

"Let's go see what they have to say," Burt said.

The family went downstairs, where the officers were waiting. "Thank you for coming by," Burt said, as if he didn't know what to say.

"As you know, we've been investigating this very carefully," one of the officers told the family. "Over the past few days, we've been investigating the houses on Belbner, the road that the CVS cameras saw Finn walk down, the street his things were found on..."

"And?" Kurt asked. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"We waited before we mentioned this to you because with everything you have on your plates right now, but we did some DNA testing..." the police officer began.

"What did you find?" Kurt asked.

"This is going to be the most difficult thing you'll have to see so far," the other officer said, reaching into his bag. "We found this behind the bush of one of the houses on that street."

The officer put a ziploc baggie with a knife with some blood on it.

A knife.

A bloody knife.

Carole started crying as Burt hugged her, and Kurt felt like he was going to pass out. "So somebody stabbed him?"

"That's what it looks like," the officer said sadly. "The blood in this bag was Finn's blood."

"I feel sick," Kurt groaned. Who had done this? Who had stabbed Finn?

"Well, where was he?" Burt asked, sounding like he was going to break down.

"There's still no sign of Finn," the officer said.

"Well, who lives at that house?" Burt asked. "You need to question them."

"Oh, believe me, they are going to be at the police station very soon," the officer assured Burt. "Some other officers are going to their house and are going to take them into custody..."

The people who lived at that house. The people who had hurt Finn... the people who might have killed Finn. "We need to speak to them," Burt interrupted.

Kurt wasn't sure if he wanted to face the people who might have killed Finn. He wanted to kill these people. Why had they done this? Who were they? Was Finn alive? Where was he? Where was his body? When was this nightmare going to end? So many questions, and no answers...

"You can come with us to ask them... I don't know if it would be good for you to face the people who did that to your son..." one of the officers began.

"No," Burt interrupted. "We're going. We need to find out why these people killed Finn."

x

Burt, Carole and Kurt rode in the back of the police car to the station, not saying anything. The people who'd hurt Finn were there. And they were about to be face to face with them.

Kurt wanted to hurt these people. They'd deprived Finn of the life he deserved, and deprived those who loved Finn of somebody they loved. Why had they done this? It made no sense.

The officers arrived at the police station and led the Hudson-Hummel family inside. As they entered the room where they'd met with the police before, a couple in their 30s was sitting across from the police.

Kurt wanted to scream at these people. He knew who they were. They were the owners of the house where the knife had been found.

As the family entered, the officer stood up. "Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, Kurt, this is David and Caroline Klein..."

Burt lunged toward the couple as Kurt held back his dad. The last thing that the family needed was for Burt to get in trouble. "Why did you do it?" Burt snarled at the couple. "Why did you murder my son in cold blood and hide the body? Where is he? Where is Finn?"

"Mr. Hummel, Mr. and Mrs. Klein say that they have no idea how the knife got there..." the police officer began.

"What do you mean they have no idea?" Burt shouted. "Finn's jacket, phone and wallet were found on the street! A bloody knife with Finn's blood was found in the bushes in their yard!"

"We have no idea who Finn was," David said. "We have three young children ourselves... we would never kill someone else's child."

"That's what they've been saying to us," the officer said.

"Well, if they didn't kill Finn, then why are so many things linked to him at their house?" Kurt snapped. Who were these people anyway? And why did they want to hurt Finn?

"Before we saw the missing person ads, we had no idea who Finn Hudson was," Caroline said. "We are so sorry about what happened to your son, but we had nothing to do with it. We don't even know how that knife ended up in our yard, or why Finn's things were near our house..."

"Well, all the evidence is pointing at you," Carole said tearfully. "Why? We've never seen you before in our lives. Why did you do that to our son?"

"Mrs. Hummel, we already said, we have no idea how the knife got in our bushes," David said defensively.

"It is possible that the real killer is trying to cover their tracks and put Finn's things and the knife at the Kleins' house," one of the officers said.

"We don't even know that he's dead," Kurt said. There still had to be a possibility that Finn was alive. There had to be. Right?

"We don't know," the officer admitted. "But that is how things are looking..."

"Well, like I said, I don't know who Finn Hudson is, and neither does my wife," David protested. "And we are so sorry about what happened to Finn. As a parent, I can't even imagine what you're going through..."

"I'm not sure if I believe that you didn't do it," Kurt said. Sure, these people were acting like they had no idea what was going on, but things definitely were pointing at them. Just because they said they didn't know what had happened to Finn didn't mean that it was true.

"We are going to need to do more investigation," the officer added. "We are going to take Mr. and Mrs. Klein in custody right now, and we've sent a team to search their house."

"Good," Kurt snapped. Even though these people claimed they didn't know what had happened to Finn, he wasn't going to believe that it wasn't the people whose house the knife had been found at until something else was discovered.

Kurt got out his phone and sent a quick text to Blaine. "Could you meet me at the police station?" After finding out about what the knife, he really needed Blaine right now.

A few minutes later, Blaine arrived at the police station. Kurt had asked to step in the hall while Burt and Carole continued talking to the Kleins and the police officer, mainly because he couldn't even stand to look at the couple. Blaine came into the hall and up to Kurt. "Kurt, what happened?"

"They found a knife," Kurt managed to say. "A bloody knife."

Blaine sat down next to Kurt and pulled him close. "Oh my God. Oh my God."

Kurt finally broke down as Blaine held him. "I feel so sick, Blaine. The people who own the house where the knife was found are in there now, and they're saying that they didn't do it. How can they do that? How can they just sit there and act like they're innocent when the proof is right there?"

"They're bad people," Blaine said, sounding ready to cry himself.

"Yeah they are!" Kurt said. "I can't believe it... a knife... so he was stabbed to death... this keeps getting worse and worse." His thoughts came pouring out. "What if they buried the body somewhere? Or disposed of it? I just want him back here."

"I know you do," Blaine said. "We all do."

x

"This is Rod Remington from WOHN with an update on the Finn Hudson case. A few days ago, police came to the conclusion that the eighteen-year-old University of Lima student was killed after discovering his jacket on Belbner Road with blood on it. Yesterday, a knife with blood was found on the bushes of a yard of a house on the aforementioned street. The owners of the house have been taken into custody as investigation continues..."

"Please turn that off," Artie mumbled. The past and present New Directions had gathered at Mr. and Mrs. Schuester's house to see if there were any updates about Finn on the evening news. They'd done some more looking after school, and now they were here. Since word came out that Finn might have been killed, all the other members of the Class of 2012 had returned to Lima to be together and help look for Finn.

But this was worse than anyone could have imagined. A knife. This almost guaranteed that the police were right about what they thought had happened to Finn.

"This is my fault," Puck said. "I'm the one who let him go to CVS that night. I could have stopped him. I could have gone with him."

"This isn't your fault," Jake told his brother. "You didn't know what was going to happen."

"I know, but I still feel like a bad friend," Puck said. "It was dark out, I could have just told him to go to the vending machine..."

"Hey, don't," Mr. Schue said. "None of us saw this coming."

"Has anyone talked with Finn's family?" Santana asked.

"Blaine told me he's with them," Sam said. "I told him that if they want us, just text me and we can be with them."

"What about Rachel?" Tina asked. Multiple people had texted Rachel to ask if she wanted to be with them tonight, but no one had heard back.

"Blaine said Burt talked to Rachel's dads," Sam reported. "She probably wants to be alone now." Of course, other than Finn's family, this would be hardest for Rachel. Even though she and Finn weren't together right now, everyone knew that they were going to be together. They knew that they were going to get married and have children. Instead, this had happened.

No one knew what to say or do right now. Things were looking more and more bleak for Finn. There was only so much hoping they could do.


	7. Chapter 7: Seasons of Love

_Hi everyone. Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. I really appreciate them. The next few chapters will take place during the time of The Quarterback episode, amongst the events of that episode, but with some changes and additions. For instance, New Directions singing Seasons of Love in this chapter is the same as when they sing it in The Quarterback episode, but this rendition also includes Rachel, Quinn, Brittany and the members who joined ND after Regionals (I couldn't let ND be short three members). In a few chapters, we'll also find out where Finn is and if he's still alive. Enjoy and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 7: Seasons Of Love

Kurt and Blaine sat in Kurt's bedroom, not saying anything. The knife being found felt like the final confirmation that Finn was gone. No one had wanted to believe it, but if Finn was out there somewhere, wouldn't he have his phone and wallet with him? Wouldn't he be wearing his jacket? And why would a knife with his blood on it be found?

"I just want to beat up those people who took Finn," Kurt told Blaine. "I just couldn't believe they were sitting there in the police station saying that they didn't know who Finn was. His things were found on their street, the knife was in their bushes... did they really expect us to believe them?"

"I know," Blaine said, rubbing Kurt's back. "I know."

"And those people are parents!" Kurt continued. "They said they have three kids! So why would they do that to someone so young."

"Who knows?" Blaine sighed.

Kurt looked at Blaine. "Blaine, thanks so much for being here for me and for my family... I appreciate it so much."

"Of course I'm here for you," Blaine said. "Even though we're not together, I love you and I love your family. I'm so sorry about what happened this fall..."

"Blaine, I know you're sorry," Kurt interrupted. "You've been telling me for months. And I've forgiven you and I believe that you wouldn't do it again if we were to get back together. I just can't deal with all of this right now, with everything that's going on. I'm sorry, but I don't feel ready to get back together and restart our relationship on top of everything else."

"It's okay," Blaine said. "I understand."

Kurt gave Blaine a hug, glad that Blaine understood. Then he heard a knock on his bedroom door. "Come in," he said, assuming it was either Burt or Carole.

But when Kurt looked up, Rachel came in. "Hey," Rachel said softly. "I hope you don't mind that I came by. I just haven't been able to stop thinking about you and your parents..."

"Thanks for coming," Kurt said, giving his best friend a hug.

"How are you doing?" Blaine asked.

"I'm handling it," Rachel admitted. "Just... a knife? A bloody knife? So he was stabbed to death?"

"I guess," Blaine said. "We don't know anything."

Rachel started sobbing. "I wanted so badly to believe he was still around, that he was still out there... but I think he might really be gone. It's not right. Who would do that to him? He was such an amazing person..."

Kurt pulled Rachel into the hug with him and Blaine.

"Kurt, Blaine, Rachel..." a voice said. The three young adults looked up and saw Burt and Carole.

"We were thinking of having a service this weekend," Burt told them.

"A service?" Kurt asked. "But we don't even have the body! We don't even know if he's dead!" It looked like he was dead. But there was still a chance he was alive, right?

"I know this is upsetting," Carole said. "Believe me, I do not want to have to plan a funeral for my son."

"Then why are you doing it when you don't even know for sure?" Rachel asked.

"I don't want to believe that he's dead," Carole said. "Look at what we have though. There's no sign of Finn. Just his things and a bloody knife." She looked ready to cry. "I hate this, just as much as you guys do."

"We don't want to do this," Burt said. "Believe me, we don't want to. We want Finn back. But there's nothing that gives us that impression. For all we know, the killer could have hid his body."

"I just want him back," Rachel sighed.

"We all do," Burt said. "But we've all been missing work and school. Eventually we need to get back to our lives. You guys are in college. The glee club has Nationals to get ready for."

"It's more important to us that we find Finn," Blaine said.

"We appreciate that, but Finn would want you guys to win Nationals," Burt said. "We do want the glee club to sing at the service though, if you could talk to Mr. Schuester about that."

"Yeah, I'll talk to him," Blaine said, looking defeated. "Maybe the alumni could sing with us, too?"

"Yeah, that would be nice," Carole said. "And if anyone wants to talk about Finn, we'd be happy to have you talk about him." She looked at Rachel. "We're assuming you'd like to say something?"

Rachel sighed. "Yeah, I would."

x

Rachel hoped that between the day Burt and Carole told her they were making plans for a service and the day of the actual service, Finn would be found.

But the day of the service arrived, and there was still no sign of Finn.

Rachel didn't want to have to go to a service. That made everything so final. She, Kurt and Santana would be returning to New York the next day, and the other alumni would be returning to college as well. The police had promised to keep looking, but with everyone going back to school, it felt like it was Finn's family's way of just giving up.

"Rachel?" Rachel heard her dads call.

Rachel went downstairs in her black dress. She saw her dads in black suits. "We should get going now," LeRoy said.

"Okay," Rachel said. She followed her dads into the car as they drove to the funeral home. Rachel didn't talk on the way to the funeral home. She couldn't stop thinking about Finn. What if he really was dead? She'd never gotten a chance to tell him how much she loved him and how sorry she was about everything that happened. He could have died thinking that she didn't care about him anymore.

"You don't have to keep holding it all in," Hiram said from the driver's seat. "You can get upset and cry today if you want."

Rachel decided to ask her dads the question she'd been wondering. "Do you think Finn really is dead?"

Rachel's dads looked at each other. "Rachel, we know how hard this is for you, but if Finn was alive, he probably would have been found by now," LeRoy said.

Rachel's dads had a point. "I don't know what I'm going to do with myself now," Rachel sighed.

The car pulled into the funeral home's parking lot. Rachel followed her dads inside, where Rachel saw the other glee girls from her first year of glee talking. "Hey," Mercedes said, giving Rachel a hug.

"Hey guys," Rachel said.

"How are you doing?" Tina asked, hugging Rachel.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm hanging in there."

Santana gave Rachel a hug. "Well, we're all here for you."

"You guys don't need to worry about me so much," Rachel said. "We weren't together..."

"Yeah, but you loved him and he loved you," Quinn said. "You made him so happy. Even when I was with him, I knew he loved you."

"I did my best," Rachel said.

"Well, he was always happy with you," Brittany said.

The girls came together for a group hug when Puck came over. "Hey Rachel."

"Hi Noah," Rachel said.

Puck looked at the ground. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry that I let Finn leave the dorm that night."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Rachel said. "You didn't know what was going to happen."

"I know, but I still feel bad," Puck admitted. "If I hadn't let Finn go to CVS, he'd still be here."

"You can't blame yourself," Quinn told Puck "Blame those people who killed Finn."

"I can't believe they're saying they didn't do it," Santana snapped. "I mean, the knife was at their house! What more proof do we need?"

The others were believing Finn really was dead now. Maybe there was no way around it. Mr. Schue came over to Puck and the girls. "Guys, we're going to get started now."

"Okay," Rachel sighed. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be out looking for Finn. But if everyone else was giving up - maybe she should too.

Rachel sat with her dads as the funeral director began speaking about Finn's life. Rachel was relieved that the murder wasn't mentioned at all. Well, the potential murder. What should she say? Whatever it was, she was glad that the funeral director wasn't talking about Finn's disappearance. It had been all over the newspapers lately, and whenever anyone heard the name Finn Hudson, they'd probably think of the boy who'd gone missing.

Photos of Finn through the years were all over the room, as well as flowers. However, there was one major difference between this funeral and others Rachel had been to: there was no body, no coffin.

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted when the funeral director asked for Finn's family members and friends to come and share their memories. Rachel struggled to think of the perfect thing to say, but Carole went up first. "Thank you for coming here today," Carole said. "All of you. It's nice to look around this room and see that Finn was loved by so many." Not only had the entire New Directions Class of 2012 returned, but some of Finn's former teammates from sports had come as well, and so had some of his friends from college. "I was so blessed to be Finn's mom. The past nineteen years of my life were the best I possibly could have asked for, because I had him with me. I was so proud of him, and I don't know if I can think of the right words to describe him. I remember once when he was little, I had to leave for a week and left him with one of my friends. My plane got delayed and I felt so bad. I didn't get back in until about three in the morning. But little Finn was there, in my friend's living room, staying up waiting for me. I told him he could have gone to bed and he said he didn't want to go to bed, he wanted to be up when I got home, because he missed me so much. I don't know if Finn remembered that, but I always will. It showed how much he loved his mom, and I know he loved all of you, too. And now we're the ones missing him."

Rachel had never heard that story before, but it made her tear up. She'd been waiting for Finn all week. Carole continued talking for a little more before Kurt came up to the podium. "Hi," Kurt said. "I'm Kurt Hummel. For those of you who don't know, I'm Finn's stepbrother. But I don't think the step is necessary because Finn was my brother in every nonbiological way. We met early on in high school and I had a crush on him when I first met him because he stopped another student from being mean to me. We bonded my sophomore year when we both joined glee club, and I set up our parents. I'm so glad we ended up becoming brothers because I wouldn't want anyone else for a brother. I have so many good memories of Finn, but my personal favorites have to be the time when it was Lady Gaga week in glee club and some students were picking on me for my costume, and then he showed up dressed in a Gaga costume made out of a shower curtain to stand up for me... there was also the time at our parents' wedding when he sang a song to me about how amazing he thought I was. Little did he know, he was the amazing one. I'm going to miss him every day of my life."

Rachel was crying at this point when she decided to stand up. "Hi." She tried to think of the right things to say. "I'm Rachel Berry and I dated Finn when we were in high school. It's hard to think of the right thing to say about Finn... but he changed me so much for the better. No matter what, I always knew that I was loved when I was with him. Whenever someone else had something to say about me, Finn found a way to make me feel better. Before I met Finn, I was a crazy Broadway obsessed girl who was loud and obsessed over my talent. Then I met Finn and I became more than that. He always made everyone feel good about themself and he was always there for all of us. He cared about the team, he was a great athlete, a great singer, a great drummer... he was so amazing. I don't think there's anyone out there in the world as beautiful as Finn, both inside and out. I love you so much, Finn. I'm so sorry this is how it had to end."

Rachel sat down and cried as a few more people spoke. Maybe there was no point in pretending that Finn was still alive somewhere. No one was able to find anything. There was no sign of him. He must really be gone.

After some more speakers, the funeral director stepped up to the podium. "Finn's family told me that the glee club he belonged to in high school had a song prepared, so if they can come up here now..."

Rachel hadn't sang with the glee club since graduation. And it would feel so wrong to be up there singing with the glee club without Finn. The current members would be singing with the graduates for the first time, but it still wasn't going to feel right without Finn there. The glee club had asked Rachel if she wanted to sing the female solo in the song she'd selected, but Rachel didn't feel like she could, so she asked Mercedes to sing the solo instead.

The glee club took the podium as the music began. This was only the first song without Finn, and sadly, it wouldn't be the last.

_New Directions and alumni: Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
How do you measure, measure a year?  
In daylights, in sunsets  
In midnights, in cups of coffee  
In inches, in miles  
In laughter, in strife  
In five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
How do you measure  
A year in the life?  
How about love?  
How about love?  
How about love?  
Measure in love  
Seasons of love  
Mercedes: Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Journeys to plan  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
How do you measure  
The life of a woman or a man?  
Santana: In truths that she learned  
Kurt: Or in times that he cried  
Puck: In bridges he burned  
Tina: Or the way that she died!  
New Directions and alumni: It's time now  
To sing out  
Though the story never ends  
Let's celebrate  
Remember a year in the life of friends  
Remember the love! (Mercedes: Oh, you've got to, you've got to remember the love)  
Remember the love! (Mercedes: Share love, give love, spread-ead love)  
Measure in love! (Mercedes: Measure, measure your life in love, ooh)  
Seasons of love  
Seasons of love  
Mercedes: Measure your life, measure your life in love_

x

The day after the service, the graduates returned back to their respective colleges. Rachel didn't want to go back to New York. She wanted to stay here and try to find Finn. But it was like her parents and Finn's parents had said, she had to get back to school. How was she going to focus on everything though? She didn't care about school right now. She just wanted to have answers about Finn.


	8. Chapter 8: The Plaque

_Hey guys. Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. I really appreciate them. Like the last chapter, this chapter takes place during the events of The Quarterback, so it's basically like additional scenes added in. I know you're all wondering what happened to Finn and where he is and the answer is coming soon - very soon. Anyway, review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 8: The Plaque

It had been over two weeks since the Hudson-Hummel family held the service for Finn, and there was still no sign of him. The police were still looking. His family and friends were still looking. But there was no sign of him anywhere. Rachel didn't like to think that Finn was dead. But he was nowhere to be found, and all they had from him was a bloody knife and a bloody jacket.

The semester was winding down, and Rachel was barely making it through her classes. Even finding out that she'd gotten the part in Funny Girl couldn't cheer her up. She just wanted Finn home and safe.

Rachel sat in the living room working on her homework when Kurt turned on the TV. "And we have just received word that the suspects being held in custody for the disappearance and believed murder of eighteen-year-old Finn Hudson of Lima, Ohio have been released from custody..."

"What the hell?" Santana shouted. "Why would they do that?"

Rachel didn't know what to say to that. The people who might have killed Finn were released from custody? Before anyone else had anything else to say, Kurt's phone rang. "It's my dad."

"Put the phone on speaker!" Santana demanded.

Kurt picked up the phone. "Dad, why the hell did the police let them go?"

"Kurt..." Burt began.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Kurt demanded. "The police let the people who killed Finn go!"

"They were fingerprinted," Burt said. "The police traced the fingerprints on the knife and on Finn's things. Those were not the Kleins' fingerprints."

"What?" Kurt asked.

"The fingerprints of the residents of that house were not on the knife or on any of Finn's things," Burt said. "Their house was searched and nothing that had any connections to Finn was in their house. Nothing else was found in the surrounding area. Their neighbors were also questioned."

"So what?" Santana asked. "They think that they can just get away with it?"

"The police think that the real killer put Finn's things on Belbner to cover their tracks and make themselves look innocent," Burt said.

"This is so messed up," Rachel snapped. "What if they were guilty?"

"We don't know anything for sure," Burt said. "Look, we all hate this. And we all want Finn back."

"Yeah, we do," Rachel said. She didn't know what to think or say now. She didn't know what to think or say anymore.

x

Rachel's phone was ringing. She saw that it was Mr. Schuester. Rachel didn't feel like picking up the phone. Not unless it was Finn. Then Kurt and Santana came into her room. "Did you hear from Mr. Schue?" Santana asked.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"They're having a memorial week for Finn next week in glee club," Kurt said. "He was hoping we could come back for it."

Another thing to solidify that Finn was gone? Rachel wasn't up for this. "Thanks, but I think I'll stay here." At least school and rehearsals were somewhat of a distraction from everything.

"Are you sure?" Santana asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I just want to stay here, get away from everything."

x

Kurt and Santana flew to Columbus in almost complete silence. It was hard to believe they were making another trip to Ohio so soon, especially under the circumstances. Blaine would be picking up Kurt and Santana, and both of them just wished that Finn was going to be there.

As they got off the phone, Blaine came up to hug Kurt and Santana. "Where's Rachel?" Blaine asked.

"She wanted to stay in New York," Santana said. "I think it's all been too hard for her and coming here will just make things harder."

"I get it," Blaine admitted. "Everyone grieves differently, right?"

"Yeah," Kurt said as he held Blaine's hand. "I just want him back..."

"Of course you do," Blaine said. "Let's get you home."

The drive from Columbus to Lima was also almost completely silent. This was the second visit back to Lima without Finn there, only the second of many. Finn wouldn't be at Kurt's college graduation, or his wedding, or for the birth of Kurt (and hopefully Blaine's) children.

Blaine dropped Santana off first before dropping Kurt off at his house. "If you need me at all this week, just let me know, okay?" Blaine asked.

"Okay," Kurt said.

"I'll talk to you later," Blaine said as he gave Kurt a hug and drove away. Kurt went up to the house and rang the bell.

Carole came to the door, looking half asleep. "Hey Kurt."

"Hi Carole," Kurt said, giving his stepmother a hug. "Where's my dad?"

"He's sleeping," Carole said. "He's been up with me so much at night, I think he just needed some sleep."

"It's okay," Kurt said. "I haven't been getting much sleep either."

"So, your dad and I were thinking that since you're home, we should go through Finn's things," Carole said. "See what any of us might want to keep, and what we should give away..."

Give away. Some of Finn's things would be gone. Just like Finn was. "It'll be nice for all of you to be together and remember Finn," Carole continued.

"Not everyone," Kurt said. "Rachel doesn't feel up to it, and Quinn and Brittany can't make it either. It'll be me, Santana, Mike, Puck, Mercedes and the current members."

"Rachel didn't feel up to it?" Carole asked.

"Yeah," Kurt said. "This has been hard for her."

x

The glee club had their first meeting to remember Finn yesterday, and now Finn's family was going through his things. The room looked completely barren without his things in it, and the "donate" box had the most things in it. Mostly his clothes, but still - those things had connections to Finn. But neither Burt nor Kurt was tall enough to wear Finn's clothes, and someone else could get good use out of them.

Burt and Carole hadn't talked about what would happen to Finn's room now. Maybe they'd just use it as a guest room. Carole hated the idea of anyone sleeping in that room except Finn. Even though it wasn't the room he slept in as a child, it had the same cowboy wallpaper. Everything about it screamed Finn. His drums, his sports stuff, photos from Glee competitions... now most of it in boxes.

"What song are you singing for Finn this week?" Carole asked Kurt, trying to keep her mind off things.

"I don't know," Kurt said. "Today Mercedes sang I'll Stand By You. I was actually the one who suggested Finn sing that song originally..."

"I remember you two practicing it for your ballad assignment," Burt said.

"Yeah," Kurt said. "He and I never got to do a full duet... I wish we had."

"Hey, even if you didn't get to do a duet, you two sang lots of amazing songs together," Carole said, hugging Kurt.

x

Another glee club meeting was held today. Sam and Artie had sang Fire and Rain to begin the meeting, and now the five glee club members who'd joined this year while Finn was leading were going to sing a song together.

"I know we didn't know Finn as long as you guys did, but he was our leader for the first few months in this club, and we wanted to do something special for him," Kitty began.

"Finn was the one who encouraged me to join this club and helped me find out what it was that was holding me back in school," Ryder said.

"He stood by me as I struggled with my eating disorder, even though I had my worst moments at the worst possible time," Marley said.

"And he encouraged me to be myself," Unique said. "He was such an amazing person."

"We know that he led the glee club in this song once before, and when the five of us were talking about songs he sang, we thought this would be a good one," Jake said. "It's not just for him, but for all of us."

_Marley: You're not alone  
Together we stand  
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand  
Jake: When it gets cold  
And it feels like the end  
There's no place to go  
You know I won't give in  
No I won't give in  
Marley, Jake, Kitty, Ryder and Unique: Keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Just stay strong  
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you  
There's nothing you could say  
Nothing you could do  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
So keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Ryder: So far away  
I wish you were here  
Before it's too late, this could all disappear  
Kitty: Before the doors close  
And it comes to an end  
With you by my side I will fight and defend  
I'll fight and defend  
Marley, Ryder, Jake, Kitty and Unique: Yeah, yeah  
Keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Just stay strong  
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you  
There's nothing you could say  
Nothing you could do  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
So keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Unique: Hear me when I say, when I say I believe  
Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny  
Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
Marley, Ryder, Jake, Kitty and Unique: Keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Just stay strong  
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you  
There's nothing you could say  
Nothing you could do  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
So keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

After the five sophomores finished their song and returned to their seats, Kurt raised his hand. "Mr. Schue, may I sing something?"

"Yeah, of course you can," Mr. Schue said.

Kurt went to the front of the room. "It took me a while to come up with the right song to do for Finn, and I don't know if there is just a perfect song, but I think this one describes what Finn and I had perfectly. I always wanted a sibling, and I'm so glad I got Finn for my sibling. He was always there for me and I could always go to him if I needed him. I'm so lucky to have had Finn in my life and I don't know what to say, but this is for him." He handed the sheet music to Brad.

_Kurt: Come stop your crying  
It will be alright  
Just take my hand  
Hold it tight  
I will protect you  
From all around you  
I will be here  
Don't you cry  
For one so small,  
You seem so strong  
My arms will hold you,  
Keep you safe and warm  
This bond between us  
Can't be broken  
I will be here  
Don't you cry  
'Cause you'll be in my heart  
Yes, you'll be in my heart  
From this day on  
Now and forever more  
You'll be in my heart  
No matter what they say  
You'll be here in my heart, always  
Why can't they understand the way we feel?  
They just don't trust what they can't explain  
I know we're different but deep inside us  
We're not that different at all  
And you'll be in my heart  
Yes, you'll be in my heart  
From this day on  
Now and forever more  
Don't listen to them  
'Cause what do they know (what do they know)?  
We need each other  
To have, to hold.  
They'll see in time  
I know  
When destiny calls you  
You must be strong (you gotta be strong)  
I may not be with you  
But you've got to hold on  
They'll see in time  
I know  
We'll show them together  
'Cause you'll be in my heart  
Yes, you'll be in my heart  
I'll be there from this day on,  
Now and forever more  
Oh, you'll be in my heart (you'll be here in my heart)  
No matter what they say (I'll be with you)  
You'll be here in my heart (I'll be there), always  
Always  
I'll be with you  
I'll be there for you always  
Always and always  
Just look over your shoulder  
Just look over your shoulder  
Just look over your shoulder  
I'll be there always._

x

When Kurt got home from the school that day, he was surprised to see that his parents weren't the only ones home. Rachel was sitting with them in the living room with Burt and Carole.

"Hey," Kurt said to Rachel. "I thought you weren't coming."

Rachel shrugged. "I couldn't not come."

"I'm glad you're here," Kurt said. "We're not done quite yet, so maybe you could come tomorrow."

Rachel looked uneasy. "Yeah, I think I will come."

"Rachel actually had something she brought to show us," Burt said.

"Yeah, I did," Rachel said, handing Kurt a plaque. "I was thinking of giving this to Mr. Schue for the choir room."

Kurt looked at the plaque. It had Finn's senior photo, the years of his life and a quote: "the show must go... all over the place... or something..."

"This is perfect," Kurt said to Rachel. "Really captures him."

"Thanks," Rachel said. "I just wanted to do something special for the glee club to remember Finn..."

"It's perfect," Kurt said. Rachel doing this was like it being finalized. All along, she'd been the one who wasn't giving up hope that Finn was alive, and here she was, giving up hope.


	9. Chapter 9: Back to the Normal

_Hi everyone. Thanks so much for all your reviews on the last chapter. That one, and this one, were tough to write. This will be the last one that takes place during the events of "The Quarterback," kind of like adding in some additional scenes. In the next chapter we'll see a certain someone... Anyway, please review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 9: Back to the "Normal"

Burt, Carole and Kurt arrived at Goodwill with a box full of Finn's clothes. This was the donate box from before. Most of Finn's things had ended up in there. Eventually they'd be given away, so why not now? Giving away Finn's things now would help them avoid doing it later.

Burt, Carole and Kurt had each kept a few things, but most of Finn's things were going to be given away.

As time passed, there were fewer and fewer ways around the fact that Finn really was gone. Having his things around was like still having a piece of him. They still had some of the things. But what if they were giving away something Finn loved? Something that he would have wanted them to keep?

There was no way of knowing.

As the family walked into the Goodwill store, a clerk greeted them. "May I help you?"

"We have some donations," Burt said. It was hard to part with these boxes. The people at Goodwill didn't know how much important things were in these boxes. Finn's bed and furniture were still in the room, but eventually those things, too, might be given away. The family wasn't sure what they'd do with Finn's bedroom. They could use it as a guest room, but the thought of someone else sleeping there was painful...

"Okay," the clerk said. She paused when the family didn't hand the boxes over right away. "Is everything okay?"

No. Things were not okay. Maybe this clerk hadn't seen the family on the news or recognize them as the family of the missing college student. "It's just some sentimental stuff," Carole said.

"Are you sure you want to donate it then?" the clerk asked.

No. The family did not want to donate Finn's things. They wanted to keep Finn's things, and for Finn to use them.

"We'll have to get rid of them at some point," Kurt snapped, handing the box to the clerk.

The clerk looked confused. "Okay."

"Thank you," Burt said before handing over the boxes and escorting Carole out. Kurt followed behind.

Carole broke down as soon as the family was in the car. "Now all his stuff is gone... it's like he's gone too."

"We'll find a way to get through this," Burt said. "We always do..." But they'd never had anything like this to get through before.

x

The glee club members past and present stood in the choir room, looking at the plaque. Rachel had given it to Mr. Schue yesterday, and now it was on display in the room.

"This is perfect," Artie said as the group gazed at the plaque. "I remember when he said that."

"That's a classic Finn moment," Mike said. "You chose the right quote, Rachel."

"I wanted it to say something that really captured Finn," Rachel said.

"This is going to be on the wall here forever," Ryder said. "Everyone who joins this club should see it and know who Finn was."

"For as long as I'm running this club, I'll make sure people know who Finn was," Mr. Schue said.

"Good," Sam said. "It just doesn't feel like the glee club without Finn here."

"I know," Blaine agreed. "He was the foundation of this club."

"He wasn't just the quarterback in football, he was our quarterback too," Mercedes added.

"For the beginning of our time here, he was the leader," Marley said. "He would have been an amazing teacher."

"He already was," Unique said.

"I'm glad you ended up coming," Tina said to Rachel. "And bringing this for us."

"Of course I came," Rachel said. "I couldn't miss this. Finn was too important to me... I feel horrible."

"I've said this before, I'm sorry," Puck said to Rachel. "If I'd gone with him that night..."

"You need to stop blaming yourself," Rachel said.

"I just want to hurt the people who killed Finn," Puck snapped.

"We don't know who killed Finn," Jake reminded his brother.

"Let's not think about the people who killed Finn," Mr. Schue interrupted. "The whole point of this week is to celebrate Finn. I know that once the criminals are found, they will receive the maximum sentence."

x

Rachel sat in her dads' living room, watching TV and hoping for news about Finn. She was still holding on to a tiny twinge of hope that Finn would be found alive, even though it was looking less and less likely. Her bags were packed and she'd be going back to New York tomorrow. Unfortunately, it looked like she'd be going back the same way she'd arrived - with no Finn.

After watching some weather, sports and traffic reports, Finn's picture appeared on the TV screen. "This week, eighteen-year-old Finn Hudson's high school glee club held a memorial for him. The University of Lima student went missing around four weeks ago and is believed to be deceased after a knife with his blood was found on Belbner Road. Police are still searching for the body. Finn's family wants their son, dead or alive."

Burt and Carole appeared on the TV. Kurt hadn't mentioned that his parents were going to be on TV. "I hope the person who murdered my son in cold blood and hid the body is watching this," Carole said, looking and sounding angrier than Rachel had ever seen or heard her. "Finn was a kind person who would have done great things. His life was just getting started and he didn't deserve this. Whoever did that, please know: you are a horrible excuse for a human being, and you need to get help."

"If anyone who's watching this knows anything, go to the police right away," Burt said. "We're parents who lost our son, desperate for answers and for closure. As much as we loved Finn, if he ever broke a law or hurt someone, we would make sure he took responsibility for it, no matter how much damage the truth being known did to us or to Finn."

The screen panned back to the TV anchors. "The Northwest Ohio community is rocked by the possible murder of a local college student. As you can see, his family only wants answers. We encourage anyone who might know anything to the police..."

Rachel turned off the TV. Still no news. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to accept it. But maybe she'd have to.

x

Rachel, Kurt and Santana stood in line, waiting to go into the airport. They didn't want to leave. They wanted to stay here. At least here, it was like having a connection with Finn still.

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Schue came over. "Hey guys," Mr. Schue said.

"Hey Mr. Schue," Kurt said. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Yeah, I called your parents to see where you guys were, and they told me that you were here," Mr. Schue said. "I was hoping I'd get to Toledo before your flight left..."

"Well, you're here," Santana said.

Mr. Schue looked at Santana. "I have something that belongs to you." He reached into his bag and handed her Finn's jacket.

"What?" Santana asked. "Where did you find it?"

"I'm sorry," Mr. Schue admitted. "I took the jacket for a little while, Santana. I just needed some time with Finn."

"It's okay," Santana said. "I understand. I think we all do."

"Yeah," Mr. Schue said. "Your mom said I'd find you here so..."

"Thank you, Mr. Schue," Kurt said. "The three of us do need Finn in New York with us."

"I know you do," Mr. Schue said. "Now, you three take care of yourselves, okay? Don't make any late night trips by yourselves..."

A month ago, making a late night run to the convenience store alone wouldn't have been something anyone would have thought twice about. Now it was something no one would ever do again... if Finn hadn't made that trip to CVS, he would still be alive.

"We won't, I promise," Kurt said. "If any of us make any late night trips, we'll do it together."

"Good," Mr. Schue said. "The world can't lose you guys, too."

Rachel tried to force a smile. She still couldn't handle it all. The media coverage had tuned down. There were fewer and fewer updates from the police. The service and the memorial had been held. Life was expected to go on. But how could life go on when she'd lost the most important part of her life?

"Flight 511 to New York boards in an hour," the announcement came.

"That's our flight," Santana said. "Guess we'd better get going."

"Yeah," Mr. Schue said. "We'll see you guys soon."

"Yeah," Santana said. The three roommates hugged their former teacher before heading into the airport to catch their flight back to New York.

"I'm glad you have the jacket back," Rachel told Santana.

"Yeah, me too," Santana said. She turned to Kurt. "I know you said you were giving it to me, but any time you want, you can wear it." She turned to Rachel. "You too, Rachel. It can be for all three of us."

Rachel felt herself tearing up. "I'd like that."

"We're going to be okay, right?" Kurt asked.

"I like to think we will," Santana said.

Rachel didn't speak. She honestly didn't know what to think anymore.

x

The flight to New York seemed longer than usual. Maybe it was because after this flight, once they got back to New York, the normal lives would really be beginning again. It would be back to school, back to the diner, back to rehearsals.

None of that really mattered anymore.

x

"It sounds like the police are giving up."

"Well, even if they weren't giving up, they haven't come here."

"Why would they? We're so far away from where it happened, and we covered our tracks."

"I don't think this was a good idea..."

"Good idea or not, we did it. This wasn't even our idea, so it's not like we'd get in trouble."

"It might not have been our idea, but we did do it..."

"Like I said, we shouldn't have agreed to it..."

"Why did we do this anyway?"

"The money? That ring a bell?"

"If the police find out, we'll lose the money for sure and we'll get in trouble."

"Oh, what's the point? We aren't suspects, and the police aren't going to come here..."

He could hear the conversation clearly from the side of the door that he was on. He knew that if they knew he was listening, terrible things would happen to him. But what he'd just heard was definitely information that would be valuable...


	10. Chapter 10: Escape

__Hi everyone! So here it is - the chapter many have been waiting for, the return of Finn. This chapter takes place a few weeks after the 100th episode two parter, and all events of Season 5, except Klaine's engagement (they're working their way back to each other, but not together yet) are canon. I know many questions still haven't been answered, but they will be answered. We will find out why these people hurt Finn and who the mastermind was. And yes - there will eventually be some Finchel. Enjoy and review if I should keep going!_  
_

Chapter 10: Escape

It had been months, Finn was sure.

Months of being trapped in a basement of a house in who knew which city. Months of only getting to eat every few days. Months of being pushed, hit, punched... even attacked with a knife that one time, whenever he tried to escape.

But what they didn't know was that he would sometimes creep to the top of the stairs and listen to them talk through the door. They were planning to leave town for a few days with some of their other friends.

It was getting harder and harder to move. He was sure several of his bones were broken. He had bruises and cuts just about all over his body. But he couldn't do this anymore. And with them leaving town, he had to get out of there. He had to get home to his family and friends.

So he listened as they left on their vacation. And when he was sure they were gone, when he hadn't heard any noise or movement upstairs in hours, he crawled up the basement stairs and used a saw to cut the door open.

It hurt his arms to cut the door, bu for the first time in months, he was out of the basement and in the kitchen. He tried to get himself to stand, but it hurt too much. Still, the next step was getting out of the house.

Finn crawled around the upstairs area and didn't see any sign of a telephone. Since he couldn't call the police to get him here, he'd need to get out of the house and hope for some help. Crawling around the house some more, he looked out a window and saw other houses across the street. He forced himself up again, opened the front door, crawled on to the front porch, and screamed, "Help!" over and over again at the top of his lungs.

Two elementary school aged children walking a dog passed the house. "Are you okay?" the boy asked.

The girl nudged her brother. "We can't talk to strangers."

"I need help," Finn moaned. "Can you call the police?"

The boy looked confused. "I don't have a phone..."

A man and woman in their 30s, maybe these kids' parents, came running over. "What's going on?"

The boy looked at the adults. "He needs help."

The man walked on to the porch. "What happened to you?"

Finn burst into tears. "A few months ago, some man scooped me up when I fell down and brought me here. For months I've been locked in the basement of their house, and he and his roommates have been hurting me. They push me and hit me and once they even attacked me with a knife..."

"Oh God," the woman said. Finn noticed some more people were coming over. "I thought you were just an OSU student who'd had a bad experience at a party last night or something..."

OSU? That was in Columbus... "Where am I?" Finn asked.

"You're in Columbus," another man said. "You don't know where you are?"

Finn shook his head. "I've been trapped in that basement for months! I don't even know the people who own this house!"

"This is a rental house for OSU students," one of the women said. "Sweetie, you look like you haven't showered in months..."

"I haven't!" Finn protested. "They trapped me in their basement..."

"He looks a bit swollen, don't you think?" the kids' mother asked her husband.

"Yeah," her husband answered. "Let's get him to a hospital."

Finn felt his inner child coming through. "I want my mom."

"We can call her, but you need to get to a hospital," one of the streets' residents said, getting out his phone. "I'll call her. What's your name?"

"Finn," Finn said before reciting his mom's phone number. At least these people were proof that he didn't need to lose faith in the human population.

x

Burt and Carole sat in the living room of their house, flipping through the TV channels. The past few months had been horrible. The police were still looking for Finn's body, but there were still no signs. They'd gone along to LA with the New Directions to see them perform at Nationals and dedicate their performance to Finn, only to lose their title and have Finn's plaque stolen by a rival glee club member. Then they found out that the club Finn had loved so much was being cancelled due to "lack of budget" (though they knew this was just Sue Sylvester being Sue Sylvester). Two weeks ago, the glee club had officially ended, and the Class of 2013 had graduated from McKinley. Yesterday Kurt had returned to New York with Rachel, Blaine and Sam. Kurt and Blaine weren't officially back together yet, but they definitely seemed to be going in that direction.

Carole's phone vibrated. She looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was a Columbus number. She didn't know this number, but she still answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Carole Hudson?" the voice said. "My name is Tony Ryan, I live in Columbus and I have your son with me... he's being taken to the emergency room and he really wants you..."

"What?" Carole asked. This sounded like a weird prank call. "My son lives in New York, and I just talked to him an hour ago. Why would he be in Columbus and going to the emergency room?"

"Ma'am, Finn didn't say anything about New York," Tony said. "He's in a lot of pain, people have been hurting him and he really wants you... they're taking him to Mount Carmel Hospital..."

Yes. This was definitely a prank. And a very nasty one. "I don't know if you are who you say you are, but this is not funny," Carole snapped. "My husband and my other son and I are grieving for Finn every day and we definitely don't have time for this. I don't know who you are or how you got my number... but the only thing I want to know from you is if you know who killed Finn."

"What?" Tony asked. "Finn's alive. He's getting put on an ambulance now."

Carole tried to hold in her anger. She'd lost her son, and somehow, a stranger had gotten her phone number and was doing this. "This isn't funny, sir. If you had children, you would be having nightmares about something like this happening to you. Do not contact me again." She hung up the phone and turned to Burt. "That was some idiot in Columbus, claiming they knew where Finn was."

"Why would anyone pull a prank like that?" Burt asked.

"I don't know," Carole said. "I wish that call had been real."

x

Finn lay on the stretcher in the ambulance as he heard the paramedics talking. Although he was still hurting, and the stretcher was far from it, this was the closest to a real bed he'd had in months. Maybe once they got to the hospital, he'd have a real bed to sleep in.

A paramedic came over. "How are you doing, Finn?"

"Sore," Finn pouted. "I just want the pain to stop."

"It will," the paramedic said. "We're going to get you to the hospital and have some doctors look at you. Finn, please tell me: what happened?"

Finn shuddered as he shared the details of the last few months. He couldn't believe he was finally out of there, but he didn't know exactly what these people had done to him. The paramedic looked horrified as Finn shared his story. Finn knew that physical recovery wasn't the only thing that he had ahead of him - this would take a long time to recover from emotionally.

Another paramedic came to the stretcher. "We need to get Finn to the hospital."

"They said they'd call my mom..." Finn began.

The paramedic sighed. "Finn, your mom thought that this was a prank. Right now, we need to get you to the hospital. Once we get there, we'll call her."

"Okay," Finn said weakly. As the ambulance took off, Finn put his head against the pillow on the stretcher, glad to have a pillow to put his head on. His head hurt so much. His whole body did. But at least he had a soft enough surface now. Without even trying, Finn drifted off to sleep.

x

He saw them.

The four kidnappers were entering the ambulance with their knives in hand, trying to attack Finn. They'd gotten word on their vacation that he'd escaped, and now...

Finn started screaming. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in a hospital room. "Hey," a doctor said. "How are you feeling?"

"It's good to be in a bed," Finn said.

"Yeah, the paramedics told me about what happened to you," the doctor said. "You've been asleep for a few hours, and we did some tests."

"What's wrong with me?" Finn asked.

"Don't worry about that now," the doctor said. "Right now, we need to focus on getting you comfortable."

"Well, this is the first time I've been in a bed in months," Finn sighed. "I really hurt though. All over."

"We can see that," the doctor said. "And we're going to do everything we can to help you get better. But looking at you, and hearing your story... we can tell you're a fighter."

Finn managed a weak smile. "Thanks. I just hate those people who did that to me. I don't even know why they did it to me. I asked them..."

"Don't think about them now, Finn," the doctor said. "The hospital has been communicating with the police department since you were found. The residents of the neighborhood are working with the police to track down the residents of that house."

"Good," Finn snapped. "I want them in jail."

"I'm sure they will be," the doctor said. "But Finn, right now, we just want you comfortable. Just focus on yourself now."

"Will I be okay?" Finn asked.

"We'll make sure you are," the doctor said. "Get back to sleep, Finn. You look exhausted, and the police and paramedics told me that it looked like you hadn't gotten decent sleep in weeks."

x

Burt and Carole sat in their living room, still furious from the prank call earlier today. They wanted Finn home more than anything, but he wasn't coming home. The thought that someone would call them pretending they knew where Finn was... well, that sickened them.

The doorbell at their house rang, and Burt and Carole walked to the door together, seeing a policeman standing there. "May I help you?" Burt asked, expecting some bad news of some sort about Finn.

The officer smiled at Burt and Carole. "Finn's been found."

If the officer was smiling, there must be good news, right? "What?" Burt asked.

"He's alive," the officer said. "We got a phone call from the Columbus police earlier today with an update..."

The Columbus police... could this phone call have been legitimate? "What happened?" Carole asked.

"Finn was apparently kidnapped and being held hostage in a basement of a house being rented by OSU students," the officer said. "We don't know why they took him or what their motivation was, but apparently, they would physically hurt him. He escaped earlier this afternoon and he's in a hospital in Columbus..."

Finn was alive? Neither Burt nor Carole knew what to say. They both wanted to hurt these people who had been hurting Finn... but they thought that there was no hope of Finn being alive... and now they were finding out that he was...

"We need to go see Finn," Carole said.

"Of course," the officer said. "It's a lot to take in, so we can give you a ride to the hospital."

"What happened to Finn?" Burt asked.

"The Columbus police didn't tell us the full story," the officer said. "Finn's in the hospital and being examined. We just know that he kept asking for his mom..."

Carole felt touched to hear that. Finn was, and always would be, her little boy. "What about the people who hurt Finn?"

"The police down there are working to track them down," the officer said. "They will be arrested as soon as they're found."

"Good," Burt snapped.

"Would you like to go see Finn?" the officer asked.

"Yes, of course," Carole said. She looked at Burt. "He's alive."

"Yeah," Burt said, hugging his wife. "We didn't lose him."

x

Kurt sat in his office at Vogue, working on a layout for the website. He couldn't stop thinking about the plans he and Finn had for the summer. Finn was going to spend a few weeks in New York. Instead, Finn was dead, who knew where.

Blaine and Sam had moved to New York shortly after graduation. Since Santana was traveling with Brittany right now, it was Kurt, Rachel, Blaine and Sam at the apartment. The group had created a third makeshift bedroom for Blaine and Sam. Although Kurt and Blaine weren't back together, they were getting closer and closer to that. Spending time with Blaine reminded Kurt of how much he loved him, and now he truly believed that Blaine would never hurt him like that again.

However, he could tell that it made Rachel uncomfortable to see Kurt and Blaine making their way back to each other when she could never have that with Finn. Rachel rarely mentioned Finn, and even if the boys talked casually about him, she often stayed quiet. This was still very hard for her, and anyone who knew her at all could tell that.

Kurt's phone rang, and he looked at the Caller ID to see that it was his dad. There was still no news on where Finn's body was, and Kurt wasn't sure if they'd ever get an answer to that question. But maybe today, he'd finally get that piece of closure. He picked up his phone. "Hey Dad."

"Hey Kurt," Burt said. "I have some good news."

Kurt knew what this meant. "Where's the body?"

"The body is actually still functioning," Burt said. "Finn's been found, and he's alive."

Kurt couldn't believe it. "What?"

"He's alive," Burt said. "I don't know all the details, and this isn't the type of thing that I'd want to discuss over the phone anyway, but he was being held hostage in a basement in Columbus. He's at a Columbus hospital, and Carole and I are on our way there."

Kurt couldn't believe it. After months of believing Finn was dead, he was alive. "I need to get home."

"Book the first flight to Columbus you can," Burt said. "We need to be together, all four of us."

"Yeah, all four of us," Kurt said. He never thought their family would all be together again, and now they were going to. He immediately went to Isabelle's office to tell her while looking for a flight to Columbus on his phone. He couldn't wait to get home to Finn.

Isabelle gave Kurt permission to catch the next flight back to Columbus in four hours, so Kurt hurried back to the apartment to pack a bag. This was real. He was going to see Finn again. When Kurt walked into the apartment, Blaine and Sam were playing on xbox. "Where's Rachel?" Kurt asked. "I need to tell all three of you something."

"She's at rehearsal," Sam said.

"Well, this can't wait," Kurt said. "When she gets home, you guys tell her, because I have to get to the airport. Finn's alive."

Blaine and Sam jumped up, smiling wide. "What?" Sam asked. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Kurt said. "My dad called me. He was kidnapped, but he escaped. He's in the hospital, but at least he's alive."

"Wow," Blaine said. "This is amazing... he's alive..."

"Yeah," Kurt said, hugging both Blaine and Sam. "I can't wait to go see him. Can you guys tell everyone for me?"

"Yeah, of course," Blaine said.

"Seriously, best news ever," Sam added.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "This really is the best news ever."

x

Burt and Carole walked into the hospital in Columbus and told the receptionist who they were here for when a doctor approached them. "Oh, you're Finn Hudson's parents?"

"Yes," Burt said. "Where's Finn?"

"He's asleep right now," the doctor said. "Let's go see him."

The doctor led Burt and Carole to Finn's room. "Just a warning, this might be a bit of a shock. He's in bad shape, but he'll be fine. He has a crack in his spine. We found some inner bleeding. Three of his ribs are fractured, and he needed over 100 stitches all over his body. His right arm is broken and he sprained his left ankle. He has lots of bruises. He also has cracks in his pelvis and clavicle."

"What did these people do to him?" Burt asked.

"We don't want to interogate him just yet," the doctor said. "He's clearly really shaken up. When he has some more time to recover, we'll talk to him."

"Can I just see him?" Carole asked. Her heart broke knowing that Finn was in such bad shape, but at least he as still here.

"Yeah, of course," the doctor said. He led Burt and Carole into the room. Carole started crying as soon as she saw Finn. Yes, he was alive - but it was going to take a long time for him to recover both physically and emotionally. She couldn't help but notice how thin Finn was. Had those people even let him eat? He had stitches on his face and a big bruise on his forehead. His right arm was in a cast. His lower body was under the blanket, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to see it. The mother in her noticed that he needed a shower and a haircut, but those things could wait. She ran to his bedside and sat next to him. "Hi," she whispered to her son. "We were so worried we lost you - but we're so glad you're here."

Burt smiled at Carole. "We have him back. Kurt just texted me, he'll be in tonight."

"Good," Carole said. "The four of us need to be together." They'd thought for a while that now it would just be three of them.

Finn opened his eyes and looked at Carole. "Mom?"

"Hi honey," Carole said. "I'm here."

Finn burst into tears. "Mom..." He wrapped his left arm around his mom. "Mom, it hurts so much... everything does... and I thought I'd never see you again..."

Carole felt so sad to hear Finn so upset. "I know, honey. But I'm here now. And we're not going to let them hurt you ever again."


	11. Chapter 11: Safety

_Hi! Thanks so much for all your support of my last chapter. I appreciated it. It's definitely nice to have Finn back. We'll be finding out about the story behind Finn's disappearance very soon, but I wanted to write a chapter about how he was initially recovering from everything. Other characters are going to be coming back soon - including Rachel. Hope you enjoy this and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 11: Safety

"Mom..." Finn said, tightening his grip around Carole. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Carole said. "We thought you'd died..."

Finn shuddered, thinking back to his times trapped in the basement. "There were times when I thought I was going to die. When they stabbed me..."

"I know baby," Carole said. "We were so afraid."

Finn looked over at Burt. "I missed you too."

"I missed you," Burt said. "How are you feeling?"

"As good as I can, I guess," Finn admitted. "The doctors gave me some painkillers before you got here. What's exactly wrong with me?"

Carole and Burt looked at each other. "Those people really hurt you, Finn," Carole said. "There's cracks in your spine, pelvis and clavicle, and you have three broken ribs and a broken arm. You sprained your ankle, needed over 100 stitches all over your body, and had some inner bleeding."

Finn didn't even know how to take all that in. "Am I going to be okay?"

"Yes," Burt said. "You'll be fine. There's great doctors here taking care of you. We're just lucky you got out before things could get much worse."

"I was so scared when I was breaking out," Finn told his parents. "And it hurt to do all that moving around. But I needed to get out. I just couldn't take it anymore."

Carole gave Finn a kiss. "We're so proud of you for getting out. And we're very thankful to the people from that neighborhood for helping you."

"Yeah, me too," Finn said. "I don't know why those people did that to me. I'd never even seen them before."

"We don't know why they did either," Carole said. "What we do know is that the police are doing their best to find those evil people."

"Okay," Finn said. "I hope they go to jail forever."

"I don't think you have much to worry about there," Burt told Finn.

"They would only feed me every few days," Finn told his parents. "And I would have to sleep on the basement floor..."

"Oh baby," Carole said, hugging Finn again. Finn put his good arm around his mom. He didn't want to leave his family again.

One of the doctors came in. "Hey, you woke up."

Finn managed to smile. "Yeah."

"Is it good to see Mom and Dad again?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Finn said.

"We also have his brother on the way here," Burt said.

"So, how are you feeling, Finn?" the doctor asked.

"I'm hanging in there," Finn said. "Thank you for taking care of me..."

"Of course," the doctor said, looking at Burt and Carole. "We can tell you've got a strong guy here. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"How long will I be in the hospital?" Finn asked.

"We don't know," the doctor said. "And with your spine and rib injuries, you're going to need to do physical therapy for a while..."

"But he'll be okay, right?" Burt asked.

"Eventually, he probably will," the doctor said. "I'm not going to lie, this is going to take time."

Finn gulped. "Am I going to need a wheelchair?"

"For a while, yes," the doctor said.

Finn frowned. "I wish I knew why they did those things to me."

"I do too," Carole said. "But what matters most is that you're safe now."

Finn nodded. He was safe now, but he was still hurt and shaken up by everything that happened.

x

Kurt got off the plane and texted his dad, saying that he'd arrived. Luckily, the hospital wasn't too far from the airport, so Kurt got a taxi to the hospital. The whole time he rode in the taxi, he thought about Finn. Today had been a whirlwind with finding out Finn was still alive and rushing to Columbus to be with him. He was so happy to find out that Finn was alive, but he was worried nonetheless. What had those people done to him?

The cab pulled up in front of the hospital, and Kurt got out. He went into the lobby and saw Burt waiting for him. "Dad!" Kurt exclaimed, running to give his dad a big hug.

"Hey Kurt," Burt said. "I'm so glad you could get here so soon."

"How's Finn doing?" Kurt asked.

Burt looked at Kurt. "I'm going to warn you now, seeing Finn isn't going to be easy. He looks pretty bad. He doesn't want to talk fully about what happened yet, but he was kidnapped and held hostage in a basement not too far from here. The people who kidnapped him would physically abuse him, and he's got lots of cuts and bruises and stitches. He also has some broken bones. He said that they pushed him and beat him and hit him whenever he tried to escape, and that once they even attacked him with a knife."

"What?" Kurt asked. "Why would anyone do all that to Finn?" he thought out loud.

"I don't know," Burt said. "Like I said, we don't know very much. The police are tracking down the residents of that house. Finn broke out of it and some of their neighbors called the police and the ambulance."

"Can I see Finn?" Kurt asked. It was upsetting him to hear about all the bad things that happened to his brother. He just wanted to see him.

"Yeah, of course," Burt said. "I just wanted you to be prepared."

Sure, he wouldn't be prepared to see Finn in bad shape. But he was even less prepared to lose Finn. He followed Burt upstairs, where Burt opened the door of one of the hospital rooms.

Kurt was right - he wasn't prepared to see Finn looking like this. Finn was asleep in the hospital bed. He had a cast on his right arm and was holding Carole's hand with his left hand. Kurt noticed lots of bruises and scrapes on Finn's left arm. Finn also had some stitches and bruises on his face. He also looked like he'd lost a lot of weight.

Kurt patted Finn's left shoulder. "Hey. I'm so glad you're here."

Carole looked over at Kurt. "I'm glad you could get here so soon. Finn knew you were coming, but he wanted to get some sleep. He didn't sleep very much while he was there..."

"Do we know if the police found the people who did this to Finn?" Kurt asked.

"We don't," Carole said. "But the police know their names and they're working with the residents of the street they live on to track them down." She looked down at Finn. "I'm just glad that he managed to escape when he did. The doctors said that he would have died if he'd been there much longer, because they were hurting him so much and he wasn't eating enough."

"I can tell he hasn't been eating," Kurt said. "He's so thin..."

One of the doctors came in and looked at Kurt. "So you're Finn's brother?"

"Yeah," Kurt said.

"I bet you're glad to have him back," the doctor said.

"I am," Kurt said. Even though Finn was clearly in bad shape, Kurt was just so glad that Finn was alive, safe and with his family.

x

It was weird.

Rachel thought that her dream was to be in Funny Girl. Now she had the part, and she didn't feel any sense of satisfaction. Going to rehearsals was like a chore. All she could think about was Finn. She'd never gotten to tell him how much she loved him, and now he was gone. This was the life she'd thought she'd wanted, but now she knew this wasn't the life she wanted.

Rachel arrived back at the apartment, where Blaine and Sam were watching TV. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Blaine said. "Guess what?"

Rachel wasn't sure if she wanted to guess what. "Just tell me."

"Finn's alive," Sam said.

Rachel dropped her purse. Was this true? Finn was alive? "What?"

"Like I said, Finn's alive," Sam said. "I don't know the full story, but Burt and Carole called earlier. Finn was kidnapped and he escaped. He's in a hospital, but he's alive."

Rachel didn't know what to think. She was so happy to hear Finn was alive, but at the same time, she was worried. Kidnapped? Who had kidnapped him? What had they done to him? At least he was alive and safe now, right? "Wow," Rachel said, feeling tears coming to her eyes. "He's alive."

"Yeah," Blaine said. "Best news ever, huh?"

"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "Is that why Kurt's not here?"

"Yeah, Kurt's going to Columbus to be with Finn," Blaine said. "He told us he'd call as soon as there was an updated."

"Columbus?" Rachel asked.

"Apparently that's where Finn was being held hostage," Sam said.

"Oh my God," Rachel said. She couldn't stop thinking about Finn. He must have been so afraid.

"Do you think you'll go see him if he's allowed visitors?" Blaine asked. "I know this has been hard on you."

Rachel paused. She wanted to see Finn. But they'd had a complicated year. It had been over a year since they were together, and she'd rejected him back in the fall. Right now, what was most important was that Finn be taken care of. Maybe seeing Rachel wasn't what would be best for Finn right now. "I don't know."

"Why wouldn't you?" Sam asked.

"Finn's got so much going on right now," Rachel said. "He had a terrifying thing happen to him. I don't want to add any more stress to his life."

"You wouldn't be adding stress to his life," Blaine said. "I'm sure he'd love to see you."

"I know he would," Sam said. "He really missed you all year."

x

Finn had been sleeping for a while, but now he was seeing the faces of the people who'd hurt him again in his dreams. He could hear them calling out to him, reprimanding him for escaping. "Don't hurt me!" Finn shouted. "Don't hurt me!"

"Finn, nobody's going to hurt you," Finn heard his mom say.

Finn realized that he was still in the hospital. At least he knew he was safe here because there was a team of doctors to take care of him. To Finn's surprise, he saw Kurt standing with his mom. "Kurt!" Finn exclaimed.

"Hey Finn," Kurt said. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"Me too," Finn said. "I'm glad you can come."

"Everyone misses you," Kurt said. "When you disappeared we were all so worried."

"Well, how is everyone?" Finn asked, hoping to get his mind off things.

"Well, the class below us just graduated," Kurt said. "Blaine and Sam moved to New York with Rachel and me, and Artie's going to be joining us in the fall at Brooklyn Film Academy. Tina's going to go to Brown. Puck and Quinn are back together, and he's in training for the Air Force. Santana and Brittany are also back together, and they've been traveling. Mike's still dancing at Joffrey, and Mercedes is working on an album. And Rachel got the part in Funny Girl."

Finn felt so proud of Rachel. "She did?"

"Yeah, she did," Kurt said. "And Mr. and Mrs. Schuester are having a baby."

"I'm so happy for them," Finn said. "Maybe if I'm feeling better by then, I can take care of the glee club while Mr. Schue goes on parental leave."

"Actually, the bad news is that the glee club doesn't exist anymore," Kurt said. "Coach Sylvester cut it due to lack of funding."

"What?" Finn gasped. The club that he loved so much didn't exist anymore?

Finn's thoughts were interrupted when two doctors came in with two police officers. "Can we talk to your mom and dad for a minute, Finn?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. He wondered why the police officers were here. Had they discovered something?

"In case you're wondering, we are working to track down your abductors," one of the officers told Finn. "We've gotten their phone numbers and tracked down their phones in Florida. The police down in Florida are working with us to find them. Once they find them, they'll bring them back here."

"Good," Finn said. "I want them locked up."

"Me too," Kurt added.

"Can you keep your brother company while we talk to your parents?" one of the officers asked Kurt.

"Yeah, I can," Kurt said.

Finn felt his nerves coming back when he heard the police were going to talk to his parents. Had some news been found about the kidnappers? Were they in jail now? What if they were still out there roaming? What if they'd found out he escaped and were going to try to come after him again... there were so many questions and so few answers.

"Finn," Kurt said, waving his hand in front of Finn's face. "You need to relax."

"I know," Finn said. "It's just hard to."

"I can't say I know because I don't know what you're going through," Kurt said. "But it upsets me to see you so scared. You're safe now. You're with me and our parents and you're in the hospital, and my phone's blowing up with texts from our friends asking how you're doing."

"Really?" Finn asked.

"Yeah really," Kurt said. "When we thought you were dead, we had your phone disconnected..."

Finn shuddered. He didn't like the thought of everyone thinking that he was dead.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Finn said. "Don't worry." But would he ever be completely okay again?

x

"What's going on?" Burt asked the police officer once they were in the hall.

"We didn't want to say it in front of Finn because hearing this might upset him, but we need to talk to him," the officer said. "The residents of that house have been tracked down and taken into custody in a prison in Florida, and we're working with police there to have them transported here, but we need a statement from Finn before we can press any charges."

"Please don't make him talk to you just yet," Carole said. "He's still recovering from everything, it's getting late. I don't think he's really let all his injuries sink in. He's clearly so traumatized..."

"We know," the police officer said. "When Finn's ready, we'll be ready."

"Okay," Carole said. "Thank you for everything you've done... and if you talk to the residents of the street that house was on anytime soon, please tell them that we're very thankful to them for helping Finn."

"We will," the officer said. "I bet you want to be with Finn now."

"We do," Burt said, leading Carole back into Finn's room.

x

Finn was feeling more and more helpless.

Two hospital aides bathed him that evening, with some help from Kurt. He was going to need help with some very basic tasks now. These people who'd kidnapped him hadn't just taken away a few months of his life, they'd changed everything. He was going to need help with very basic tasks now, as needing help with a bath demonstrated. Finn fought back tears at how pathetic he felt, not wanting to cry in front of strangers. Still, it did feel good to take a real bath for the first time in months.

The aides helped Finn into his wheelchair after the bath, giving him a clean hospital gown to change into. "We also put clean sheets on your bed," one of them said.

"Good," Finn said.

"Would you like anything to eat?" the other asked.

"I'm not very hungry," Finn admitted.

"Not hungry?" Kurt interjected. "Finn, you eat more than anyone else I know. How can you not be hungry?"

"I'm used to only eating every few days," Finn said.

"Well, we'll need to change that," the hospital employee said, wheeling Finn back into his room. "That's not healthy."

"You have some nice clean sheets on your bed, honey," Carole said.

"And we ordered some takeout," Burt said.

"It's really important that he gets his appetite back," the doctor said. "He may say he's not hungry, but we need him to recover."

"I guess I can try," Finn said. In the old days he would eat happily without much trouble. Now he had to force himself to eat. He was helped into the bed by the hospital staff. "Maybe it would be good to have something to eat."

"How often would you eat when you were in that basement?" Kurt asked.

"They would bring me something to eat occassionally, but it was always something very small," Finn admitted.

Carole took Finn's hand. "My poor baby."

"When do you think we'll find out where they are and why they did it?" Finn asked. He wished he could stop thinking about the kidnappers and just get back to his normal life. But he knew he couldn't do that any time soon.

"I'm sure we'll know soon," Burt said as the doctor came in with food. "For now, you should just eat."

Finn had to admit, the smell of the food was a good thing. This would be his first real meal in months. And it was even better to get to share it with his family.


	12. Chapter 12: Finchel Reunited

_Hi everyone! So here's the chapter I've been asked about - the chapter where Finchel see each other again. I've really been looking forward to writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy it! Please review if you want me to keep going!  
_

Chapter 12: Finchel Reunited

Rachel stood in front of her bedroom mirror, staring at a picture of her and Finn. She'd thought that he was dead, but he was alive. More than anything, she wanted to see him now, but what if he didn't want to see her? There was so much going on.

She was so happy that Finn was alive. The man she loved, the man she wanted to spend her life with - he wasn't gone. But Rachel's heart broke to know that Finn had been hurt so much.

Santana came into Rachel's room. "Hey you."

Rachel felt happy to see Santana again. She and Brittany had been on vacation for a few weeks and Rachel wasn't expecting her back so soon. "Hey!" She ran to give Santana a hug. "Isn't it great news about Finn?"

"Yeah," Santana said. "When Lady Hummel told me that Finn was found, I wasn't expecting to find you here when I got back to New York."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, knowing perfectly well what.

"You should be there with him," Santana said. "He needs you."

Rachel sighed. "He's been through a lot. I don't want to create any more stress for him."

"Seeing you won't create stress for him," Santana said. "He's going to want to see you and be with you."

"I miss him so much," Rachel sighed. "But he's going through so much... I can't stop thinking about him. We weren't on the best terms over the past year. I don't know what he thinks of me... and I want him to be taken care of..."

"I think seeing you would make him feel better," Santana said. "You love Finn, don't you?"

"Of course," Rachel said. "You know I do."

"Then you need to go to Columbus and be with him," Santana said. "He needs you right now."

Santana had a point. Even if Finn didn't want Rachel there, she could leave. "I guess I could look for a flight."

"Yeah, you're looking for one," Santana said.

Rachel got out her computer and began looking through the flight times as Santana watched over her shoulder. Finally, she booked a flight for the next morning. "I guess I could call his parents..."

"Don't even bother calling them," Santana said.

"But what if they don't want me to see him?" Rachel asked.

"Of course they'll want you to see him," Santana said.

Brittany came into Rachel's room. "Hey Rachel."

"Hey Britt," Rachel said. "So you came with Santana?"

"Yeah!" Brittany said. "So you're happy about Finn?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "So happy."

"Rachel's going to Ohio to be with Finn," Santana said.

"You guys should come with me," Rachel said as she left her bedroom with Santana and Brittany. She looked at Blaine and Sam who were reading fanfiction on the couch. "You guys should too. Finn would really love to see everyone, I'm sure." Not being alone would make her less nervous about seeing Finn again, and if he didn't want to see her, it would be less painful.

"It's like you were saying yesterday, Finn's been through a lot lately," Blaine said. "It might be too overwhelming for him to have too many visitors at once."

"Yeah, the rest of us will go see him later on," Sam added. "You should go to see him now though."

"Okay," Rachel said. "I'll go."

x

Rachel's heart was beating fast on the plane ride from New York to Columbus. She wanted to see Finn. Of course she did. But he'd been through so much. Was this really what was best for him?

Of course she wanted what was good for them, whatever "them" meant now. But right now, Finn as an individual needed to come first. She needed to do what was best for him. Whatever she needed or wanted for herself could wait.

The flight attendant announced that the plane was landing in Columbus. Rachel had gotten the name and address of the hospital from Blaine, so she caught a cab and asked it to take her to the hospital. When the cab arrived, she knew this was it. She was going to see Finn. She walked up to the reception desk, trying to calm herself. "Hi," Rachel said nervously. "I'm here to see Finn Hudson..."

The receptionist looked at Rachel. "Finn's family didn't mention that we were expecting more visitors today. Are you a friend?"

A friend? That didn't even begin to cover what Finn and Rachel were. Still, Rachel didn't feel like talking about their complicated history with a stranger, especially with everything that was going on. "Yeah, I am."

"Honey, I hope you know Finn's not in good shape," the receptionist said.

Rachel nodded. "I know. I just want to see him."

"Okay," the receptionist said. "He's in Room 123."

Rachel gulped. Here it was. She was going to see him. But what if Finn didn't want to see her? What if his family didn't want her here?

Nervously, she walked down the hall to Finn's hospital room and knocked on the door. When she got there, a doctor opened the door. "Hi, are you a friend of Finn's?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah, I am," Rachel said.

"Finn's asleep now..." the doctor said before Kurt came over.

Rachel looked at Kurt. "Hey."

Kurt gave Rachel a hug. "Hi. I wasn't expecting you."

"I... I had to come," Rachel said. "I just wanted to see him."

"Well, like the doctor said, he's sleeping," Kurt said, leading Rachel into the room. "But he'll probably wake up soon. He's been taking a lot of naps lately, probably because he finally has a bed to sleep in and he had to sleep on the floor when he was kidnapped..."

Rachel looked at the bed. There he was. There was Finn. Rachel wanted to cry. She was so happy that he was alive and she thought she'd never see him again. But she could tell that the doctors were right: he was in bad shape. The bruises and stitches on his face made her sad, and she couldn't help but notice how thin he was.

Rachel went next to the bed and knelt next to him. "Hi Finn..."

"Hey Rachel," Burt said.

"Hi Burt, hi Carole," Rachel said, looking at Finn's parents on the other side of the bed. "I hope you don't mind that I came. I'm sorry if this is uncomfortable at all. I haven't been able to stop thinking about Finn since he went missing, and I was so upset when I thought he was dead... I can leave if you want me to... it's like I said before, I am just an ex-girlfriend..."

"Honey, you don't need to apologize," Carole said. "I'm glad you're here. Finn's going to be happy to see you when he wakes up."

"How's he doing?" Rachel asked.

"He's slowly making progress," Carole said. "The doctors have him on painkillers. They managed to stop the inner bleeding. I think he's more damaged emotionally though."

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Just to warn you, when he wakes up, things might not be pretty," Burt warned. "He has nightmares about the people who kidnapped him..."

Rachel kissed Finn's head, then jerked back. "I'm sorry..." She shouldn't have kissed him. "I just feel so bad for him. He must have been so scared."

"He's a fighter," Kurt said. "He did break out of there. He's strong. The doctors said he would have died if they'd kept him there much longer."

Rachel felt her tears coming back. "I don't want to imagine a world without him."

"Now we don't have to," Burt said.

Rachel noticed Finn beginning to roll around. "I think he might be waking up." She found herself getting nervous. She was glad Finn's family was okay with her being here, but what if he was mad that she was here?

"Help," Finn said. "Don't touch me. Let me go."

Rachel moved back. This must be what Finn's family was talking about. "Finn, you're safe now, remember?" Carole asked.

Finn began looking around the hospital room. "Yeah... Rachel..."

Rachel moved closer to Finn. "Hi Finn... I'm sorry..."

"Sorry for what?" Finn asked.

"I wanted to come see you," Rachel said. "I felt so bad about what happened and I wanted to come see how you were... I was so worried about you..." She didn't know what to say. She and Finn were speaking to each other again. She never thought they'd get to do that again. But here she was, and here he was.

x

Finn didn't know what to say. Rachel was here. The girl that he loved so much. The girl who he'd broken up with so she could pursue her dreams, the girl who'd dated a boy who turned out to be putting her in danger, the girl who he tried to avoid contact with because it hurt so much... she was here. The year had been nothing like Finn thought when it came to him and Rachel. But she cared enough to come see him. At least that was something.

"Well, I'll survive," Finn managed to say. "And I'm managing."

"You have no idea how worried everyone was... how worried I was... how sad we all were when we thought you'd died..." Rachel said.

Finn still felt a bit uncomfortable about people thinking that he'd died. "Well, I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you're here," Rachel said.

Finn smiled up at her. "I missed you so much, Rachel."

"I missed you too," Rachel said.

"So, how are you?" Finn asked.

"I'm okay," Rachel said. "Better, now that I know you're still here."

Finn didn't know what to say. It used to be that he and Rachel could talk about anything and everything for hours on end, but now things felt so strained. Why had this happened to him? Now nothing would be the same. "How's Funny Girl going? I didn't get to say congratulations to you on getting the part."

Rachel managed a smile. "It's going all right."

"All right?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Maybe by the time opening night comes you'll be well enough to come to New York and see the show."

"I'd love that," Finn said.

"Finn, your mom and I were saying right before you woke up that we were kind of hungry," Burt said. "Want me to get anything for you?"

"Maybe a salad?" Finn asked.

"Do you want anything, Rachel?" Carole asked.

"I'm fine, thanks," Rachel said. "I ate on the plane."

"Okay, I think I'll go with them too," Kurt said. "Rachel, you'll be fine here with Finn, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Rachel said.

Finn was going to be honest with himself, he liked the idea of being alone with Rachel, even if it was in a hospital room. Finn watched as his family left before turning to Rachel, trying to think of the right thing to say. He could tell that she was upset, and he was too. But he didn't want things to be awkward.

Finally, Rachel spoke. "Finn, I'm so, so sorry about everything that happened with us this year... I didn't want to hurt you, and I missed you every minute of every day..."

"Rachel, don't worry about it," Finn said.

Rachel looked like she was going to cry. "I hurt you. I was so worried that you'd died thinking I hated you. I love you."

Finn held out his good arm for Rachel. "Come here." Rachel walked over to Finn as Finn wrapped his good arm around her.

Rachel put her arms around Finn. "I love you too," Finn said. "But I went through a really upsetting thing. I'm not ready to get back together and start dealing with everything that comes with being in a relationship. I have so much on my plate right now and I can't pretend things are how they used to be. I'm not how I used to be."

Rachel nodded. "I understand."

Finn took Rachel's hand. "I hope you know how much I love you. I always will love you."

"I love you too," Rachel said, lying on the bed next to Finn. "And just know, I'll wait for you."

"You don't have to wait for me," Finn said. "I don't know if I'll ever be back to normal."

"That doesn't matter to me," Rachel said. "What matters is that you're here."

"Thank you," Finn said. He could tell Rachel was upset, but with everything else, a relationship would be too much.

"Is it okay if I just lie here with you?" Rachel asked.

"Of course," Finn said. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't worry about me right now," Rachel told Finn. "Worry about yourself. You went through something terrible."

Finn squeezed Rachel's hand. "I'm just so glad you're here." He gulped. "I don't know why they did those things to me, Rachel... why they hit me and pushed me and kicked me and locked me in the basement... I'd never even seen them before. I probably wouldn't be here if I hadn't heard they were leaving town, and the residents of the street hadn't seen me and helped me..."

Rachel began rubbing Finn's back. "But you are here, and that's what matters."

Finn had to admit, it felt good to have Rachel next to him and have her arms around him again. She made him have a sense of safety and security that no one else could give him. And he felt lucky that even though his life had changed, she still was willing to be here for him.

Finn's parents and brother came into the hospital room with the police. "Hey. How are you feeling?" one of the officers asked Finn.

"I'm hanging in there," Finn said.

"Well, I do have some news," the police officer said. "We tracked down the residents of that house, and they're being transported from Florida to a prison here in Ohio."

"Good," Finn snapped. "I hope they stay there forever."

"We're going to need to wait until after the trial, but they probably will be there for a long time," the officer said.

"Finn, the officers were just talking to us," Burt said. "They need to talk to you."

Finn gulped. "What about?"

"Before we can press charges, we need to hear what happened to you," the officer said. "I know this is going to be hard, but we need to hear all the details. The more we know, the easiest it's going to be to press charges."

"Do I have to?" Finn asked. He really didn't want to think about everything that had happened. He wished he could just pretend it never happened.

"This is going to be hard, we know," Carole said. "But you want the people who hurt you in jail, right?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "Can my parents and my brother and my..." He tried to think of the right word to use for Rachel. "My friend be with me?"

"Yeah, of course," the police officer said.

x

Rachel felt good to know Finn felt that much better to have her with him when he talked to the police, but she tried not to cry as Finn told all the stories about what had happened to him. She didn't want to have ANYONE go through those things, much less Finn.

When Finn finally finished talking, Rachel was close to crying, but she felt like she couldn't, because Finn was crying, and she had to be strong for him. She put her arms around Finn and looked at the police officers. "What did the residents of that house tell you?"

"They said they didn't want to do this," the officer said.

"What do you mean, they didn't want to do it?" Burt shouted. "They still did it!"

"We know, and they still will be charged," the officer said. "But we were told that someone else was the mastermind."

So now it made slightly more sense why people who Finn didn't even know had done all these things to him. But still - who would encourage something like this? "What?" Rachel asked. "Who?"

"We can't release the name until after we question this person," the police officer said. "But we'll tell you as soon as we know."

Rachel looked at Finn, just wishing she could help him feel better. She didn't normally wish bad things on people, but she wished everything bad on the people who'd hurt Finn and the person who was the mastermind.


	13. Chapter 13: Reveals

_Hi guys! First, I hope all of you who watch enjoy the wedding episode of Glee tomorrow (my secondary OTP is getting married!). It's hard to believe this is the last week of filming. Even though I don't like Finchel-less Glee, it's sad to see everything end. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 13: Reveals

As Finn slept, Burt and Carole heard a knock on the hospital door. Since Kurt and Rachel were there as well, Burt went to answer the door. He opened it and saw a police officer. "Hello Burt," the officer said.

"Hi," Burt said. "May I help you?"

"I was hoping to speak to you and Carole," the officer said.

Burt looked over at Finn sleeping in the hospital bed. The police probably had some news. It was upsetting enough for Finn to have to talk to the police yesterday. Would it really be necessary to talk again? "Can it wait? It was hard on Finn yesterday... he's still accepting and processing everything..."

"We have Finn's statements," the officer said. "We won't be needing any more from him. However, we got some information from the abductors, and we're getting conflicting stories. We need to talk to you and Carole about it to see if we can make progress..."

The police had said the OSU students said that they weren't the masterminds. Burt now knew that the mastermind was being questioned. He looked over at Carole. "Carole, can you come with us?"

Carole looked at Kurt and Rachel. "You'll be fine with him?"

"Yeah, of course," Rachel said as she patted Finn's arm.

"Okay," Carole said. She joined Burt and the officer as they went into the empty hospital room next door.

"First, let me say that the information we're sharing is not being released to the public yet," the officer began. "The students who held Finn hostage in their house are being held custody and a trial is upcoming. But we did mention that the students mentioned to us that they were not the ones who planned this."

"We know," Burt said. "You told us that."

"Are either of you familiar with a Sue Sylvester?" the officer asked Burt and Carole.

Yes. They knew who Sue Sylvester was. But what did she have to do with this? "Yes, she worked at the boys' high school," Carole said.

"What type of relationship did she have with your sons?" the officer asked.

"Well, she was the coach of the cheerleading team and she hated the glee club that they were in," Carole said. "I don't even know why."

The officer looked up from his notetaking. "We were told by these students that she approached them about kidnapping Finn."

"What?" Burt managed to say. They knew that Sue Sylvester disliked the glee club, but they'd never thought she'd do something like this...

"Brad Cohen said that she paid their college tuition for the next year in exchange for holding Finn hostage in their house," the officer continued. "Holly McCoy said that they didn't want to do it, but she offered them the money and was a bit threatening. Ms. McCoy also said Ms. Sylvester talked about her dislike of the glee club and said that if the heart of the glee club was gone, the glee club would eventually be gone, too."

Burt and Carole both felt disgusted. They always knew that Sue Sylvester was not a nice person, but they didn't think she was evil. "What the hell does that even mean?" Burt asked. "So locking my son up in the basement was how she wanted to get rid of the glee club? If she hates it so much, why doesn't she just go to another school?"

"Ms. McCoy said that she and Mr. Cohen particularly were uncomfortable with it," the officer continued. "But their roommates, Jade Pitt and Simon Wilson, kept reminding them that it was a way to get their tuition paid, and that if they confessed, Ms. Sylvester would probably hurt them. All the students were insistent that they never meant to hurt Finn."

"Well, you've seen him!" Carole snapped. "He's hurt. And if he'd been there much longer, he WOULD have died."

"I know," the officer said. "And we've made it very clear that even if some of them were uncomfortable with what they were doing, they still did it. They did push Finn down stairs. They did hit him. They did go days without feeding him. Mr. Wilson did pick him up in his car that one night and attack him with a knife."

"This is insane," Burt thought out loud. "I hope Sue Sylvester is locked up."

"She denies it, but we are keeping her in custody," the officer continued. "Mr. Cohen admitted that they communicated with Ms. Sylvester for weeks to plan this beforehand and that she sought them out on the OSU campus. We're tracking their phone history and her phone history, and we're also questionning students who were in classes with them last semester and the residents of their street."

That was something. But everything still felt so wrong. Why would ANYONE do this? "So how did they eventually find Finn?" Carole asked.

"They would sometimes one, sometimes more than one, go to the University of Lima campus at night to look for him," the officer continued.

Both Burt and Carole felt sick. This evil woman had subjected their son to this. She'd gotten away with a lot, but they weren't going to let her get away with this. "I do not want Sue Sylvester to ever set foot outside jail again," Burt snapped.

"We're going to do everything we can to make sure she stays in jail," the officer said. "But we do need to get her to plead guilty first."

"This woman is a menace," Burt continued. "She's always done horrible things and never not gotten away with it. But this isn't like what she does at the school. This is a serious crime that could have ended a human life."

"We know," the officer said. "And we're going to do everything we can."

"At least we have him back," Carole said.

Burt and Carole started to walk back to Finn's room. Sue Sylvester insulted anyone and everyone she came into contact with. She physically assaulted students and teachers. She tried to sabotage everyone. But this was a new low, even for her.

She'd even pretended to feel bad when they thought that Finn was dead. How could she have planned this?

"When should we tell him?" Burt asked Carole.

"Let's just see how he's doing," Burt said. "He needs to be taken care of first and foremost."

x

Rachel stared at Finn sleeping in the hospital bed. She and Kurt sat with Finn while Burt and Carole were talking with the police. Rachel didn't know what the police were talking about, but she hoped that there was news that would lead to more answers about why Finn's kidnapping had taken place.

"Help," Finn moaned. "Help. Help."

This always happened when Finn was waking up. Rachel could only hope that one day this would stop, but she couldn't see it stopping anytime soon. "Finn, you're okay," Rachel said softly.

Finn opened his eyes. "Hey."

"How'd you sleep?" Rachel asked. She'd gone to the hotel with Burt and Kurt last night, and Carole had stayed at the hospital with Finn.

"Okay, I guess," Finn said. "I was only up once in the middle of the night."

Only once? Poor Finn couldn't sleep all the way through the night? Rachel just wanted to hug him and kiss him and make him feel better. But she knew that he wasn't ready for that yet, so she just patted his shoulder.

"Want to sit up?" Kurt asked his brother. "Maybe when Mom and Dad get back we can get some breakfast."

"Yeah," Finn said.

"Okay, Rachel," Kurt said as the two of them helped Finn sit up. Rachel felt horrible that Finn couldn't do this on his own.

Burt and Carole came in. "Look who woke up!" Burt said.

"Yeah," Finn said.

"We were thinking of getting some breakfast," Carole said. "Anything you're in the mood for, Finn?"

"I kind of want donuts," Finn admitted.

"That sounds good," Kurt said. "Why don't you stay with him, Rachel, and I'll go with our parents to get some?"

Rachel smiled. "Sounds good."

"I do like having time with you," Finn said to Rachel as his family left.

"Well, that works, because I like having time with you, too," Rachel said. She tried to think of something to say that wouldn't remind Finn of being kidnapped. All she wanted was for him to be okay right now. They used to be able to talk about anything and everything and feel 100% comfortable. Now she found herself struggling to find something to say that didn't have a possibility of upsetting him. She looked around and saw the TV remote. Maybe they could find something interesting on TV and talk about that. "Let's see what's on TV."

"Okay, sounds good," Finn agreed.

Rachel turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. It was in the middle of the day, so not very much was on. Then a baseball game came up on one channel. "Can we watch this?" Finn asked.

Rachel smiled at Finn. "Of course. You know, I haven't been to a Mets game in New York. Maybe next time you visit, you can take me to one."

"You probably wouldn't understand what was going on," Finn teased.

"Hey, it can make up for all the times you didn't understand what was going on when I made you watch musicals with me," Rachel shot back.

Finn laughed, making Rachel smile. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Rachel said. She found herself wanting to kiss him again, but she held back. She looked at the TV screen. "So, Cincinnati and St. Louis are playing, huh?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "You know my first ever game I went to was a Cincinnati game."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "Burt took me when he first started dating my mom and we had a lot of fun."

"That's awesome," Rachel said. "I've never been to one of these."

"I'll take you next time I go to New York," Finn said. "Burt said every time Kurt watches one of these with him, he makes a comment about the players' pants..."

"Oh geez," Rachel laughed. That sounded like Kurt.

"So, what's going on with Kurt and Blaine?" Finn asked Rachel. "Burt mentioned Blaine was thinking about proposing to get Kurt back..."

Rachel didn't know anything about that. "What?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "He wanted to get back together in a big way."

"Well, I didn't hear about that," Rachel said. "They're not back together, but they're definitely close again. I know they still love each other, it's just a matter of time." Rachel wanted to be back with Finn, but she knew he wasn't ready. Either way, she was just glad to have him still here.

"Yeah, it's only a matter of time, some people are meant to be together," Finn said, giving Rachel a half smile.

"Definitely," Rachel said. Seeing that half smile again made her so happy.

x

"Hey, we're back," Kurt said as he came in with Burt and Carole. He looked at the TV. "God, why do they make them wear those awful stirrup pants?"

"Some things never change," Burt sighed.

Finn wasn't surprised by Kurt's comment. "You'll probably think it's weird to hear me saying this, but it will be nice to be able to wear my clothes again instead of a hospital gown."

Burt, Carole and Kurt all looked a bit uneasy. "Finn, about your clothes..." Carole began.

What was going on? "What about my clothes?" Finn asked.

"We thought you were dead, so we donated your clothes..." Burt began.

"I'm so sorry," Carole said. "We'll get you new ones..."

"You gave away my clothes?" Finn gasped. Normally he didn't care about his clothes... but they were his. He'd worn them so many times to so many special occassions, and his family had given them away?

"Finn, we thought you were dead," Carole tried to explain. "It was too hard for us to have your clothes around when you weren't around to wear them... and we didn't think you'd ever be..."

Finn felt tears coming to his eyes. "I can't believe you gave away my clothes! They're MINE! They belonged to me!"

"We can get some new clothes for you," Burt tried to reason.

Finn started crying as he buried his face in his pillow. "Why did you do that?"

"Because we thought you were dead," Kurt said.

Finn looked up and looked at Carole. "You never gave away my dad's clothes! So why did you give away mine?"

"It was too hard to have your clothes around when we thought you were DEAD," Burt continued. "Finn, I'm sorry..."

"You should be," Finn snapped as he continued crying. "I can't believe you did that."

"Finn..." Carole began.

"Go away!" Finn snapped. "Get out of my room! I hate you!" He buried his face in the pillow and cried. Sure, he was out of the basement, but his life was never going to be the same as it was before.

x

Finn opened his eyes a little while later, realizing he'd fallen asleep. This was the first time since his kidnapping that he'd woken up naturally and not by a nightmare about his kidnappers.

Finn then remembered the conversation he'd had with his family about his clothes right before he fell asleep. His family had given his clothes away... and he'd lost it.

Why had he lost his control over something like his clothes? Unless there was a special occassion, he never gave what he was wearing a second thought. He'd just reach into his drawers and put on whatever happened to be on top. Kurt would often make snide remarks about how his shirt didn't match his pants.

He'd yelled at his family and told them he hated them. And he felt horrible for that. Yes, he'd just been through a terrible thing, but he shouldn't have said that to his family. His family loved him and they were standing by him during his recovery, sitting in the hospital room for as long as the hospital allowed visitors.

Finn looked around the room. Kurt and Rachel were reading a Broadway magazine, and his mom was reading the paper. "Mom?" Finn managed to say.

Carole came over to Finn's bedside. "Hey, honey! You woke up!"

"Mom, I don't hate you," Finn said, taking his mom's hand.

"I know you don't," Carole said. "I'm so sorry, Finn. You had the right to be upset about us giving away your clothes."

"No I didn't," Finn sighed. "It's just clothes."

"Honey, please don't be hard on yourself," Carole said. "You're recovering from a horrible thing. Your life is different now. Reactions like that are natural."

"I'm so sorry," Finn said as he squeezed his mom's hand. "Where's Burt?"

"He went to pick up some lunch," Carole said.

"Finn, I'd be upset if someone got rid of all my clothes too," Kurt said. "How about when you get out of the hospital, I take you to buy some new clothes?"

Finn had to smile at Kurt being himself again. "You can buy the clothes for me, as long as they aren't too crazy."

Kurt laughed. "Sounds like a plan."

"Just make sure you get him lots of stripes and plaid and jacket vests," Rachel said.

Finn smiled at Rachel. "You haven't changed either, have you?"

Rachel giggled. "I know what looks good, what can I say?"

"Well, I'm not good at that stuff, so I'll take your word for it," Finn said as he heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Burt said, walking to the door.

"Probably more blood tests," Finn sighed.

"You have a visitor," Burt said as he came back

Finn looked up and saw Puck coming in. "Hey man!" Finn said.

"Finn!" Puck exclaimed, coming over and giving Finn a hug.

"I thought you joined the air force," Finn said.

"I did," Puck said. "But I'm still in training and I could come home this weekend. Turns out it's perfect timing."

"How are you liking it?" Finn asked.

"It's really giving me a sense of purpose," Puck said. "I feel like I'm part of something special and doing good."

"Well, you are," Finn said.

Puck looked over Finn's body. "Man, now that I'm seeing you... I'm so sorry I let you go out that night..."

Finn had almost forgotten the origins of that night. He'd wanted a snack and told Puck he was leaving. "Don't blame yourself," Finn said.

"That's what everyone kept saying," Puck rambled. "When we thought you were dead, I just hated myself."

Finn still felt a bit uncomfortable to have people say that they'd thought he was dead. "Well, I'm here."

"I'm so proud of you," Puck said to Finn. "You're a real fighter."

Finn managed to smile. "Thanks."

Puck looked over at Rachel. "I see I'm not the only one who came to see Finn."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I couldn't stay away."


	14. Chapter 14: Telling Finn

_Hi guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews on the last chapter. I really appreciate them. I was hoping that there would be a plot twist of some sort at the end of glee where everyone discovered Finn was still alive and Finchel could have their happy ending... I just hate how there's something for everyone but Finchel! Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 14: Telling Finn

"How long do you plan on staying here?" Finn asked Rachel.

Rachel paused. The thought of going back to New York hadn't even crossed her mind. She didn't want to go back, she wanted to stay here with Finn. She'd almost lost him once and she didn't want to lose him again. "I don't know."

"How do the Funny Girl directors feel about you missing so much rehearsal time?" Finn asked.

"I told them the story," Rachel said. "If they have a problem with it, that's their problem."

"But this is your dream role," Finn protested.

Rachel took both Finn's hands and looked into his eyes. "Finn, when I first found out you might be dead, getting the role meant nothing to me. I just wanted you to be safe."

"Really?" Finn asked.

"Yes, really," Rachel said. "I love you so much, and I'll be here for as long as you let me."

Finn gave Rachel a half smile. "I have to say, I'm feeling better now that you're here."

"I'm certainly glad," Rachel said.

"Have you heard from that gigolo lately?" Finn asked.

"No," Rachel said. "And hopefully, that's how it's going to stay. I just regret dating him instead of you during the school year."

"I was so angry to find out he was putting you in danger," Finn said.

"That was nothing compared to the danger those college kids put you in," Rachel said. "Honestly, I wish I could beat the shit out of them."

"We can hope other prisoners are beating the shit out of them in jail," Finn said.

"Yeah," Rachel said, stroking Finn's arm. She and Finn were alone at the hospital now. Puck had returned to Air Force training, and Burt, Carole and Kurt had gone out for a little while. Rachel didn't mind being alone with Finn. In fact, she rather liked it.

x

While Rachel was at the hospital with Finn, Burt, Carole and Kurt went to the police station to talk to the police. The four students were in custody and Sue Sylvester had been taken into custody at a facility closer to Lima. Burt and Carole had decided not to tell Finn that Sue Sylvester was the one behind it yet, but they knew they wanted to tell him before the media began talking about it.

"How's Finn doing?" the officer asked the family.

"He's doing better," Carole said. "He's safe at the hospital, and I think having his family around helps."

"One of our other friends is there now," Kurt added. "So he's not alone."

"Good," the officer said. "I wanted to give you some updates. We spoke to some students who had classes with the four kidnappers, and they said that they definitely noticed strange behavior during the semester. They were always texting, talking on the phone... they had the feeling that these four were hiding something."

"Yes, they were hiding something," Burt said. "They kidnapped Finn."

"We also traced their phone records and Sue Sylvester's phone record," the officer said. "There were calls from all four phones to and from Ms. Sylvester's phone, and there we found a text from the night Finn was kidnapped sent from Mr. Wilson to Ms. Sylvester that said, 'We've got him.'"

"We've got him," Carole repeated, wanting to scream.

"There were mulitple calls exchanged after Finn disappeared, too, as well as some other disturbing texts," the officer said. "None of the texts mentioned Finn by name, but it's clear that they were talking about him."

"What's Ms. Sylvester doing about all this?" Burt asked.

"She still denies it," the officer said. "However, the texts speak for themselves. We know that she was behind this. The police officers in Lima told us that when they talked to her, they could just tell, and they knew something was off about her."

"She's a psycho," Kurt said. "At our high school she bullied everyone... but I never knew she was capable of this."

"One of the texts said, 'Now that he's gone, I've gotten rid of the glee club,'" the officer added.

"Well, she's where she needs to be," Burt snapped.

x

Finn hoped that his parents would be back soon. They were gone too long to just be "running errands." He had a feeling they were really meeting with the police. "Do you think they'll be back soon?" Finn asked Rachel.

"I'm sure they will," Rachel said. "Are you hungry? Need me to get you anything?"

Finn grabbed Rachel's arm. "Don't leave." He didn't want to be left alone. Sure, the doctors could take care of him, but he'd been alone that night...

Rachel gave Finn a sympathetic look. "I'm right here."

"Thanks," Finn said. "Don't leave."

"I won't," Rachel said, squeezing Finn's hand. Rachel's phone started ringing, and she picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Hi! How are you?" "Yeah, I'm doing fine, and that's correct, I'm with him." "You want to talk to him? Of course. I'll put him on the phone." Rachel handed her phone to Finn. "Someone wants to say hi to you."

Finn took Rachel's phone, thinking of yet another thing about his life that was different. His phone had been disconnected when his family thought he was dead. He was basically going to have to restart his life from scratch. "Hello?" Finn said.

"Finn!" Finn recognized the voice immediately, it was Mr. Schue. "God, it's so good to hear your voice."

"Hey Mr. Schue," Finn said. "I heard you guys are having a baby."

"We are," Mr. Schue said.

"That's so awesome," Finn said. "I'm happy for you."

"How are you doing?" Mr. Schue asked. "Everyone in the glee club was so sad when we..."

Finn didn't like to have to keep hearing that people thought he was dead. "I'm doing better. My parents, Kurt and Rachel are with me, and Puck stopped by to visit."

"Oh, I'm so glad," Mr. Schue said. "Once you come back to Lima, I'll have to come visit you."

"I'd love that," Finn told his former teacher. "So I heard that Coach Sylvester cut the glee club..."

"Yeah," Mr. Schue sighed. "I'm going to be coaching Vocal Adrenaline in the fall."

"What?" Finn gasped. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "But Mr. Schue..."

"I want to keep coaching glee clubs, and I can't do that at McKinley anymore," Mr. Schue said.

Finn felt himself getting defensive. "We need to bring the glee club back."

"Don't worry about that right now, Finn," Mr. Schue said. "Right now, you need to focus on getting better."

"Yeah," Finn said. "I do wish that I could go back to my normal life..."

"You will, eventually," Mr. Schue told Finn. "It might take time, but you're strong. You can do this."

"Thanks, Mr. Schue," Finn said.

"No problem," Mr. Schue said.

Finn noticed his doctor coming in. "Mr. Schue, my doctor's here. Can I call you back later?" Finn asked.

"Of course," Mr. Schue said as he and Finn said goodbye and hung up the phone.

Finn turned to his doctor. "Hi," Finn said.

"Hey Finn," the doctor said. "Where are your parents and brother?"

"They went out," Finn said.

"Well, I have some good news," the doctor said. "I think you've been making progress..."

"I think so too," Finn said, glad he wasn't the only one who thought so. "I'm still sore, but it is hurting less."

"Exactly," the doctor said. "We were thinking that sometime in the next few days, maybe you could go home."

Go home? Finn did like that idea... but he didn't like the idea of going back to University of Lima, or the CVS near there... that would be too much of a reminder...

"You okay?" Rachel asked Finn.

"Yeah, I just... don't want to look at the place where it all began again," Finn admitted.

"We'll keep you as far away from CVS as possible," Rachel said. "And I'm sure you can transfer schools so you don't have to go back there."

"I know it's stupid, but I don't want to be reminded of what happened," Finn said. He knew avoiding reminders wasn't possible though. His life was changed forever. Some of his scars may never fade.

"It's not stupid," Rachel said.

Just then, Burt, Carole and Kurt came back into the room. "Good, you're here," the doctor said. "We were thinking that sometime in the next few days, Finn can go home."

"He can?" Carole asked. "That's great!"

"We'll communicate with the hospital in Lima so they can help Finn out if he needs it," the doctor said. "But we think he's doing well enough to go home."

"That's great," Burt said.

"We can get me some stuff, right?" Finn asked, still a bit upset that all his things had been given away.

"Yeah, of course we will," Burt said. "And we have a bed in the guest room, you know, so you can sleep there until we get you a new one."

Finn was upset about his bed being gone, but he felt horrible about his meltdown about the clothes, so he forced a smile. "Sounds good."

Carole turned to the doctor. "Can we have some time alone with Finn? There's something we need to talk to him about."

Now Finn knew. They were at the police station. The doctor left as Rachel started to stand. "Should I go, too?"

Finn grabbed Rachel's arm. "She's staying."

"Yeah, Rachel should be here," Carole said. "The press is going to find out eventually..."

"What?" Finn asked.

"Finn, those OSU students who kidnapped you were not the ones who planned the whole thing, they were just the ones who carried out someone else's plan," Burt said. "And the police have found out who it was..."

Rachel jumped up. "It was Brody, wasn't it? God, he needs to..."

"It wasn't Brody," Carole interrupted. "It was Sue Sylvester."

Finn should have known that. "Oh my God..."

"She told them that if the heart of the glee club was gone, she'd eventually get rid of the glee club all together," Kurt said.

Finn felt his anger boiling up. "How can she get away with this? Why does she always get away with everything? Mom, Burt, you should make her pay my medical bills..."

"Don't worry about the bills now," Burt said. "She is in priosn, and I don't think they're going to let her get away with this. She orchestrated a plan to put a human life in danger."

Finn didn't know what to say. Sue had tried to make his life a living hell throughout high school. Now she'd orchestrated a plan that had almost killed him. At McKinley Figgins had let her get away with everything, but he hoped the police would give her and the OSU students what they deserved.

"We wanted to tell you before it's in the news," Burt said.

"I hope they get hurt in jail," Finn snapped. "All of them." He didn't normally wish bad things on people, but after the pain these people had caused him, he wanted them to have some pain of their own.

"We all do," Rachel said. "We all do."


	15. Chapter 15: Home

_Hi guys! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. It's hard to believe that the 27th was my fourth anniversary of fanfic writing. I can't believe it's been four years. Definitely four years I wouldn't have predicted. Thanks to all of you who've stuck with me for the past four years. enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going.  
_

Chapter 15: Home

"You're sure he's ready to go home?" Carole asked the doctor.

"We're sure," the doctor said. "We've been communicating with his doctors in Lima, and they know everything if he needs anything, you can call him."

Finn listened to his parents talk to the doctors as Rachel and Kurt helped him into a wheelchair. Carole and Kurt had gone to a local store to pick up some clothes, and it felt good to be wearing something other than a hospital gown. However, Finn had needed help from Burt, Kurt and the doctors to get clothes on. It was not easy to put on clothes with a broken arm and with a brace on his back. While his ribs and spine were still healing, he was going to need the wheelchair from time to time.

"Thank you for everything," Finn said to the doctors.

"Oh, of course," the doctor said. "You're a real fighter."

Finn managed a smile. "Well, I couldn't have done it alone."

"You're lucky to have a family and a friend who care about you so much," the doctor said.

"I am," Finn said, feeling thankful for everything his parents, brother and Rachel had done.

"You know that if there's anything we can do, just call us," the doctor said.

"I know," Finn said. "It's going to be nice to be home."

"It'll be nice to have you at home again," Burt said. "We didn't think we would have you back."

A thought came to Finn's mind. "Before we go back to Lima, I want to do something."

"Sure, honey," Carole said. "What did you want to do?"

This was something Finn had been thinking about for a while and been somewhat reluctant to do, but he felt like he should. "I want to thank the people who lived on that street for helping me that day..."

Burt, Carole, Kurt and Rachel all looked shocked. "Finn, how could you?" Rachel asked. "Why not just write a note or something? I wouldn't want to be on the street where that all happened..."

"I know," Finn said. "But they saved my life... if they hadn't heard me and called the police, I probably would have died..."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Finn?" Burt asked. "Because we could just write a note..."

"I want to thank them in person," Finn said.

"Well, if that's what you really want," Carole said.

"I want to thank them," Finn repeated.

"We should thank them, too," Kurt said.

The family signed Finn out of the hospital as they began to leave, Carole pushing Finn's wheelchair. Just as they almost reached the door, Finn realized something: this would be his first time out in the open since he was kidnapped, other than his escape. He wasn't too worried when he was at the hospital because of all the security cameras... but this was different. He was back out in the open now.

The night he'd gone to CVS, he'd expected to just go, pick up his snack and walk back to his dorm. Instead, he'd been taken away to an unsafe place and been attacked for weeks.

Who could say something similar wouldn't happen again?

Rachel took Finn's hand. "Finn, are you okay?"

"This is the first time..." Finn began. "The first time since I was kidnapped."

"It's not going to happen again," Rachel said, hugging Finn.

Finn tightened the hug before his parnts wheeled him to the car. Kurt and Rachel helped Finn out of the wheelchair and into his seat.

"Now, are you sure you want to do this?" Burt asked Finn. "You look scared."

Finn didn't want to go on that street again. But he felt like he owed the people who'd helped him that day that much. "Yes, I'm sure."

"I want you to remember when you go there, those kids are in jail," Carole said.

"I know," Finn said. He held Rachel's hand as they drove. When the car came to a stop, Finn knew that they were here. He noticed the street was blocked off right now and there were tables set up. Maybe a block party was going on?

Then Finn noticed a house with caution tape around it. He knew right away which house that was.

Burt turned around. "Finn, you look upset. Are you SURE you ant to do this?"

"Yeah," Finn said.

"Okay," Carole said. She got the wheelchair out of the trunk while Burt and Kurt helped Finn into the wheelchair. Rachel wheeled Finn over to the table. Finn immediately recognized the kids who'd been walking their dog that day. He managed to speak. "Hi."

"Oh, look who's here!" one of the men said.

"You look a lot better than you did that day," a woman said.

Finn tried to speak, but his eyes kept falling on the house. The house where he'd been held hostage. The house where he'd been beaten...

"We wanted to thank everyone for what they did for Finn that day," Carole said.

Finn could hear his parents talking to the residents of the street, but he couldn't focus on what they were saying. He was just staring at the house, feeling his heart beating what felt like a million miles an hour.

Rachel took Finn's hand. "Are you okay?" she whispered in his ear.

"I can't do this," Finn whispered back.

"I'm going to take him for a little walk," Rachel whispered to Burt and Carole. She wheeled Finn out of the street and back toward the car.

Finn broke down crying as soon as they were at the car. "I really wanted to thank them, Rachel," Finn saaid. "But it was just too scary, being on that street again and looking at the house where it all happened.

Rachel rubbed Finn's back. "I understand. I'm sure they do too."

"It made me think about everything that happened," Finn told Rachel.

"I'm sure it did," Rachel said. "You were so brave to even talk about going back on to that street. I wouldn't be able to do it."

"Really?" Finn asked.

"Yes, really," Rachel said. "I don't know how you've been managing it all."

"I don't know either," Finn said.

A few moments later, Burt, Carole and Kurt came up to the car. "I'm sorry for the scene I caused," Finn sighed.

"We thanked everyone for you," Carole said. "And we did keep asking if you thought you could handle this..."

"I thought I could," Finn said. "Just being on that street again reminded me of everything."

Carole knelt in front of Finn, taking his hands. "Honey, they all know you appreciate what they did for you. It's understandable that you don't want to be at the place where it happened."

Finn nodded. "I just want to go home."

"That sounds good," Burt said. "Let's go home."

x

Finn felt his anxiety going down as the car pulled up in front of the Hudson-Hummel family home in Lima a few hours later. His family and Rachel had tried to talk on the way home, but he couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened. He knew that the jail that Sue was in wasn't too far from Lima. Sue had done crazy things before. What if she managed to break out of jail and hurt him again?

"How's it feel to see the family house again?" Kurt asked Finn.

Finn gave his family a small smile. "It feels good."

As he watched his mom get out the wheelchair, Finn's thoughts went back to how much different things were now. How was he going to get up and down the stairs? What if he fell and injured himself further? He knew he was starting physical therapy soon...

"Finn, you're going to be okay," Rachel said. "Sue's locked up, and so are those college students. How about we get you inside?"

"How am I going to get around?" Finn asked.

"Hey, you'll be fine," Burt said. "The guest room's downstairs, remember? So you won't have to go up and down the stairs."

"Yeah," Finn said.

"Let's go inside," Rachel said, walking in.

It felt good to see the house again. As soon as Finn got inside and into the kitchen, he noticed a newspaper clipping on the refrigerator. "Finnegan Christopher Hudson ("Finn"), 18 years old, son of Christopher Hudson (deceased), Carole Hudson-Hummel and Burt Hummel, brother of Kurt Hummel. Service will be held Sunday at noon..."

This must have been the death notice. He gulped. There had been a death notice in the paper.

Carole seemed to notice he was looking at it. She took down. "Sorry you had to see that... we didn't know..."

Even though Carole was taking down the death notice, Finn couldn't help but think about it. His parents had printed a death notice in the paper? Had they really given up?

"Do you want something to eat?" Carole asked. "I can make you something... you haven't had a homecooked meal in months..."

"Yeah," Finn managed to say. "That would be great." He wheeled out of the kitchen and into the dining room, then into the living room. It was great to get to see the house again, but it was obvious that his family had thought that he was gone. His senior photo, the large version of it, was in the center of the mantel, next to some other photos from through the years, flowers and candles. It was almost like a shrine.

"I'm so sorry you have to see that," his mom said, taking down the flowers and candles.

"I always was holding out hope that you were alive," Rachel told Finn.

"And you were right," Kurt said.

"We're all so glad you were right," Carole said.

"So, we're sorry about getting rid of your clothes and furniture from your bedroom," Burt said. "We'll get you some new things, but we did keep your things that have sentimental value because we still wanted to have them. If you want we can put those things in the guest room for you."

"I'd like that," Finn said, wheeling into the guest room. Admittedly, it was smaller than his bedroom, but at least it was a real bedrooom, with a double bed and a dresser.

"So, I'll have food ready for you soon," Carole told Finn. "Would you like to watch TV or anything?"

Finn felt bad for inconveniencing his family so much. After all, he was going to need Burt and Kurt to help him with showers and with getting dressed. He felt so pathetic. "I think I'm fine right now."

"Okay," Carole said. "We're all here if you need anything." She, Burt and Kurt left the room, leaving Finn and Rachel alone in the guest room.

"Does it feel good to be home?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "Really good." He looked at Rachel. "Thanks so much for everything over the past few days... you left the city of your dreams and rehearsals for the role of your dreams so you could be with me."

"Of course I did," Rachel said. "I know you'd do that for me, and it's like I said, that stuff doesn't matter to me right now. I just wanted you to be okay."

Finn thought about how lucky he was to have Rachel. "I love you."

"I love you too," Rachel said.


	16. Chapter 16: Scissors

_Hi everyone. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I appreciate it. I'm not going to lie, I'm not happy at all with the way things are going on the show right now. I hope things aren't as they look, but who knows? I'm just so annoyed with the writers for killing off Finn. Anyway, hope you like this chapter and review if I should keep going.  
_

Chapter 16: Scissors

The bed in the guest room was more comfortable than the hospital bed, no question, but Finn did miss his bed that he'd slept in for most of his life. Still, he was happy. He finally had a double bed with a big mattress and lots of pillows...

Then the door of the guest room opened, and Coach Sylvester came in with a knife. "Thought you could get away, didn't you Finn Hudson?"

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked. "You're supposed to be in jail."

"Oh, you've forgotten I'm Sue Sylvester," Coach Sylvester sneered. "I did get rid of the glee club, and it's all because you disappeared. So I should be thanking you."

"So you did all that to me because you didn't like the glee club?" Finn asked, wanting to hurt this woman.

"That's exactly why," Coach Sylvester said.

"You're lucky I'm too hurt to get up and hurt you," Finn said.

Coach Sylvester held up her knife. "Who said I'm done?"

Finn started screaming, and then he woke up. He realized he'd been dreaming. His mom came running into the room. "Finn, what's wrong?"

Finn started crying. "Coach Sylvester... she was in here... with a knife..."

Carole sat on Finn's bed and put her arms around him. "Finn, that was a nightmare. She's in jail and she's not going to come anywhere near you."

"I can't stop thinking about it, Mom," Finn said. "She had them hurt me..."

"Finn, you can't be so worried," Carole said. "She's in jail, and so are the students who hurt you."

"I know," Finn admitted.

"You should go back to sleep, honey," Carole said. "It's 4 in the morning..."

"What if I have another nightmare?" Finn asked.

"I'll tell you what," Carole said. "How about I sit with you until you fall back asleep?"

Finn gave his mom a hug. "I'd like that."

x

When Finn woke up the next morning, he was glad he'd slept soundly through the rest of the night, but he was again reminded of his injuries and how much they'd changed everything. When he was in the hospital, he pretty much stayed in his hospital gown except when he took his baths, and he could press buttons to get the hospital staff in the room when he needed help with something. Thanks to his spine, rib and leg injuries, he couldn't very well get out of bed without help, and he couldn't use his arms to support himself either since his right arm was broken.

This was another reminder of how helpless he was. He felt bad for being a burden to his family, but he was hungry. He called out. "Mom? Burt? Kurt?"

Burt and Kurt came into Finn's room. "Hey. How are you doing?" Burt asked. "Your mom told us you were having trouble sleeping last night."

"Yeah," Finn admitted. "I had a nightmare."

"Finn, you know that since you're a congressman's son, they're probably going to get a worse sentence than they would for a regular kidnapping, right?" Burt asked.

"Really?" Finn asked.

"Yes, really," Burt said.

"Are you hungry?" Kurt asked. "We have some fruit salad for breakfast."

"Yeah, that sounds great," Finn said before asking the question he was afraid to ask. "Will you guys help me out of bed?"

"Yeah, of course," Kurt said.

x

It had been hard to leave Finn's house last night. Rachel knew that the first night back home was going to be an adjustment. Yes, he was home again, but things weren't like they used to be. He was going to have to get used to everything all over again, get new clothes and furniture, and adjust to his injuries in everyday life, whereas at the hospital the hospital staff was taking care of him.

Rachel got a text from Kurt saying that Finn was awake and ready for her to come over, so she immediately got in her car and drove to Finn's house. She went upstairs and rang the bell, hoping that the night had been okay. Carole came to the door. "Hi Rachel."

"Hi Carole," Rachel said. "Where's Finn?"

"He's in the living room, I bet he'll be happy to see you," Carole said.

"How's he doing?" Rachel asked.

"He had a nightmare last night," Carole whispered.

Rachel's heart broke for Finn. She had a bad feeling that would happen. "Is he okay?"

"He seems to be better now," Carole said. "Do you want to go see him?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Rachel said. She followed Carole inside, where Finn was watching TV with Burt and Kurt. "Hey," Rachel said, walking over and sitting next to Finn.

Finn smiled at Rachel. "Hey Rach."

"How are you doing?" Rachel asked.

"I'm better," Finn said.

Rachel snuggled to Finn. "I heard you had a nightmare last night."

"Yeah," Finn admitted.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Rachel said. "But you're okay now?"

"Yeah," Finn said.

"Good," Rachel said.

"Finn, I was thinking, how about we go out tomorrow and get you some stuff?" Carole asked. "Since most of your things are gone, we're going to need to get some more things for you?"

Rachel noticed Finn looking uneasy. "Um... you can pick some things up for me."

"But these are things you'll be using," Carole said. "Don't you want to know what we're getting?"

"Uh..." Finn began. Rachel began wondering what was wrong. Was Finn going to get upset again like he did about the clothes?

"Just something to consider," Carole said. "I know that you're in a different place now, but you've been inside a lot for the last few months... it might be good for you to go out and about."

Finn still looked uneasy. "Maybe."

"Okay," Carole said. "Just let me know." A few minutes later, she, Burt and Carole went upstairs, leaving Finn and Rachel alone. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked Finn.

Finn looked down. "Rachel, I don't want to go out."

"What?" Rachel asked. "What do you mean?"

"I know I'm safe when I'm here because my parents won't let anyone in who shouldn't come in," Finn said. "And when I was at the hospital, I was being taken care of. But if I go out in public... anything could happen. I could see anyone and someone could hurt me..."

Rachel noticed that Finn was fidgeting and looking nervous. "Finn, Sue's in jail, and so are those kids," Rachel said.

Finn nodded. "I know, but what if she had a backup plan? What if she has more people looking for me to hurt me? Those kids were hanging around the college campus to try to find me and kidnap me. What if she's got someone else doing that, hanging out by my house or something?"

Rachel felt terrible to know how scared Finn was. "If you do go out, you won't be alone. Your family and I will be with you."

"I don't know if I'm ready to leave the house yet," Finn repeated.

"If you don't want to, you shouldn't have to," Rachel said. "It's all about what's best for you right now."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Finn said.

"I am right," Rachel said. She was glad that Finn was willing to confide in her.

x

Finn did feel bad for not being willing to go out in public yet. Before his mom suggested the shopping trip, he hadn't considered that going out in public might be difficult for him. But then he realized the last time he'd been out in the open, other than to and from the hospital and his house, was the night he went to CVS and got kidnapped. He'd gone to CVS thinking that it was just another trip, but it had changed his life forever.

At least today hadn't been too hard a day. Finn had spent the day at home with his parents, Kurt and Rachel. His mom had made some of his favorite meals for lunch and dinner, and he'd watched some of his favorite movies. He'd also seen some of the glee clubs' performances, including their performance at Nationals, on YouTube.

The family had just finished dinner, and Finn had just taken a bath with the help of Burt and Kurt. He'd broken bones before, but those times, he hadn't needed his family's help with everything. The worst part was still putting his back brace on and off. At least he could just slip a bag over his cast, and wrapping his ankle wasn't too hard...

After the bath Rachel knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Finn said, giving Rachel a smile.

Rachel came in. Finn would have been okay with Rachel coming in even before he was in his robe and pajamas... no. He couldn't think that way.

Rachel came in. "Have a nice bath?"

"Yeah, but I can't wait to shower again," Finn admitted. "I don't know why women take baths. Showers are so much quicker."

"They're comfortable," Rachel said.

Kurt looked at Finn. "Finn, you need a haircut."

"That's what Mom said," Finn said. "But I don't want to go to the barbershop... it's down the street from CVS."

"How about I do it here?" Kurt asked. "I did learn some things from Vogue."

"Sure," Finn agreed.

"Just don't put him in any slutty Vogue clothes," Rachel laughed.

"I hope those are out of your wardrobe," Finn said to Rachel.

"Oh, I won't," Kurt said. "I regret doing that to you."

"That wasn't very you," Finn told Rachel.

"I know," Rachel admitted. "I think I just got to caught up in everything and was trying too hard to be a New York version of myself."

"Well, whatever version you're being of yourself now, I like it," Finn said.

"Me too," Rachel said.

As Kurt moved closer to Finn with scissors, Finn flinched. Scissors. Sharp edges. Very similar to knives.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked Finn.

"I..." Finn began. As Kurt cut off a little bit of Finn's hair, Finn squeezed himself close together. What if Kurt cut him with the scissors?

"Finn, what's wrong?" Rachel asked. "You're shaking."

Finn hadn't even realized that. "I don't want those scissors near my head!"

Kurt gave Finn a look. "Finn, your hair is going to look weird if only a small portion of it is shorter than the rest of it."

"I don't care!" Finn snapped. "The scissors could hurt me! They could cut me and make me bleed again! I could get another injury because we all know I don't have enough of those already! And head injuries are supposed to be really bad."

"Do you really think I would hurt you?" Kurt asked.

"I don't want those scissors near my head!" Finn repeated. "They remind me of the knife that they attacked me with..."

Rachel put her arms around Finn. "Finn..."

Finn put his arm around Rachel. He realized he was close to losing it again, like he had with the clothes. If he was afraid of something as simple as scissors, how long would it take for his life to get back to normal. "I'm sorry," Finn said. "I'm so sorry."

"No, you shouldn't be," Kurt sighed. "I shouldn't have tried to cut your hair when the scissors were reminding you of the knife."

"You didn't know they would," Finn said. He tightened his grip around Rachel, hoping one day he could overcome his fears.


	17. Chapter 17: Out of the House

_Hi guys. Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter. Something big happens at the end of this chapter, something I have a feeling you'll all be happy about :) And for those of you who've asked, several other Glee characters are going to appear in Chapter 18, so you will get to see characters other than Finn, Rachel and Finn's family :) Enjoy this chapter and drop me a review if you want me to keep going!_

Chapter 17: Out of the House

A few days had gone by, and for the first time since he got home, Finn was going to leave his house.

To say that he was nervous was an understatement. He knew he couldn't stay inside forever, but at the same time, he felt safe in his house, with his family and with the doors locked. Out in public, anything could happen.

However, his parents had told him that he needed to see a professional to talk about what had happened and get help. They'd said that as much as they loved him, they weren't trained to deal with situations like this.

Finn had asked about having the therapist come to their house, but Burt and Carole had said one thing he would need to work on was his fear of going out in public, and he knew that they were right. Going to the hospital to talk to the therapist would be scary, but he did know that eventually he'd have to get back to school and work.

"Are you ready to go?" Rachel asked Finn.

"I don't want to leave the house," Finn sighed.

"I know you don't," Rachel said. "But remember, you'll have me and Kurt and your parents with you. You're not going to be alone."

Carole came into Finn's room. "Honey, I know you don't want to leave the house, but I'm sure going to therapy will help you."

"I just wish all of this hadn't happened," Finn said. "I wish I could leave the house and not be afraid to do it and sleep all through the night."

"I know you do," Carole said. "I want that for you too."

Finn nodded as Rachel began to wheel him down the temporary ramp the family had gotten installed at their house to meet up with Burt and Kurt, who were waiting by the car. Already Finn was nervous. He looked around the backyard, hoping no one was hiding in there anywhere.

Rachel wheeled Finn up to the car, and Burt and Kurt helped Finn into the car. As the family drove to the hospital, Finn sat there in silence. He looked out the window, hoping they wouldn't pass the University of Lima campus or CVS.

They didn't. The car pulled into the hospital parking lot. Finn had spent more than enough time at hospitals lately, but this was something his mom and Burt thought would help, so he figured he'd do it.

Rachel got the wheelchair out of the trunk as Burt and Carole helped Finn into the chair. Another car stopped next to theirs, and Finn found himself getting nervous. That night that he was kidnapped, the car had stopped next to him...

He couldn't let himself think like that. The family entered the hospital, and Burt and Carole checked Finn in while Rachel and Kurt sat with him.

"Hey, you survived your first time leaving the house," Kurt said to Finn.

"Not quite survived," Finn said. "I still have to get back home."

"Yeah, but you didn't get upset or anything," Rachel pointed out. "At least you didn't let it show."

Finn was upset. And nervous. He looked around the other people in the waiting room, seeing if anything looked suspicious about them. They were all doing their own things...

Then a doctor came out, probably the therapist, and looked at his clipboard. "Finn Hudson?"

When Finn's name was called, lots of people in the waiting room turned to look and started whispering to each other. Had they seen his picture in the newspaper or on TV?

Finn gulped. He was afraid to go back there alone. "That's me," Finn managed to say.

"I'm Dr. Hall," the therapist said. "Come on."

Finn looked at his family and Rachel. "We'll be here waiting for you," Carole said.

"Okay," Finn said. Maybe it would be good for him to go back with the therapist by himself. He wheeled into the office, getting a little nervous as the therapist shut the door.

"So, your parents told me about what happened," Dr. Hall told Finn. "I also saw reports about it on the news and I must say, I'm so, so sorry... I can't imagine going through what you went through..."

"It was pretty scary," Finn admitted. "I just want my life to be the way it was before. I don't want to be afraid to leave the house. I want to be able to sleep all the way through the night."

"One day, you are going to be able to sleep all the way through the night and leave the house without getting nervous," Dr. Hall said.

"So it's normal to not want to leave the house?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, of course it is," Dr. Hall said. "People who've been through traumatic experiences often don't want to do things that remind them of what happened, and since you were out by yourself that night, it makes sense."

"I don't ever want to go back to CVS," Finn said. "And if I do go back to school, I don't want to go back to University of Lima."

"Nobody's saying you have to," Dr. Hall said.

"Good," Finn snapped.

"You don't have to go to those places, but it's good that you were able to leave the house today," Dr. Hall continued. "Finn, one of the important things about recovering from a traumatic experience is not only recognizing what upsets you, but also trying to keep things normal."

"It's hard to be normal when I'm stuck in a wheelchair and need help with basic tasks," Finn admitted.

"I'm sure it is," the doctor said. "You should also remember to talk to your family and friends when you're upset. Don't feel like you have to do this alone."

Finn nodded. "I don't, I just don't want to burden my family."

"You're not burdening your family," the doctor told Finn. "Your family's here to help you. Has there been anything else that has helped you since you got out of the basement?"

"Well, my ex-girlfriend's been in town, and having her around makes me feel good," Finn admitted. "Being with her makes me feel safe and happy and she always is there for me."

"Good," Dr. Hall said. "What about your other friends?"

"I haven't seen very many of them," Finn admitted. "Like I told you, I'm afraid to leave the house."

"You don't have to leave the house to see your friends, but it might be good for you to see them," Dr. Hall suggested.

"I'll think about it," Finn said.

"Finn, you're shaking right now," Dr. Hall said. "There's nothing to be afraid of. There's security cameras all over the hospital."

Finn was shaking now? He didn't even notice that. "Well, I'm sorry, but when you've been kidnapped and attacked, it's natural to be scared."

"We're going to need to start to get that out of your system," the doctor said. "How about you try some breathing exercises right now?"

Finn hadn't thought of that. "I guess we could try."

After talking more about what had happened and trying other relaxation exercises, Finn's therapist left the office briefly to get Burt and Carole, leaving Finn alone in the office. Finn realized almost right away that this was the first time he'd been alone in a public place (well, the hospital was a public place even though he was in the room by himself) since that night he went to CVS. Was his therapist doing this on purpose?

Soon enough, Burt and Carole came back in with Dr. Hall. "Thanks for talking with Finn today," Burt said.

"Of course," Dr. Hall said. "I can tell Finn's a great guy and I'm sure he's going to be okay soon enough."

"Is there anything we can do for Finn right now?" Carole asked.

"Be there for him," Dr. Hall said. "I think you've been doing that. Watch out for things that might upset him."

"Don't leave me alone," Finn blurted out.

"Did you not like being alone just now?" Dr. Hall asked.

"No," Finn admitted. "I haven't been alone other than in my house or in the hospital room since I went to CVS that night."

"But you were okay, right?" Dr. Hall asked.

"Yeah," Finn admitted. "I was okay. But I'm not ready to be alone for long periods of time yet."

x

Rachel had been worried about Finn when they went out earlier today. However, when Finn came out of his therapy session, he said that his therapist had been helpful, so Rachel was happy about that. However, when Burt suggested going out to lunch, Finn had just wanted to go home, which reminded Rachel that Finn still had a long way to go.

The therapist was there when Burt suggested going out to lunch and said that spending too much time out today might be too much too soon. Now Rachel and Finn sat in the living room watching TV when Rachel's phone began ringing. Rachel looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Rupert, the Funny Girl director. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Rachel, this is Rupert," Rupert said.

"Hi," Rachel said.

"Rachel, when are you going to get back?" Rupert asked.

"I told you before I left about what happened," Rachel said. She didn't want to say that this had happened to the man she was in love with when Finn was sitting right there. She knew he wasn't ready to get back together. "I told you about what happened to Finn, and I just want to be there for him. He's going through a really hard time and went through a traumatic experience, and I want to be with him while he recovers."

"You're a good friend," Rupert said. "That's pretty clear. But Rachel, we have a show to worry about! A Broadway show! And you're our star. You've missed so much time, first when you thought he was dead, then when the glee club got shut down, and now to be with him... we need you. You are the star of the show!"

When Rachel was little, she would have loved to hear those words being said about her. But Finn being kidnapped, abused and nearly killed had put things in perspective. "When do you want me back?"

"As soon as possible," Rupert said. "We are falling behind..."

Rachel tried not to sound too disappointed. Why was something that was once her biggest dream now feeling like such an obligation. "Okay, I'll look into a flight back to New York."

"Thank you," Rupert said, hanging up the phone.

Rachel couldn't help but be annoyed. Her director hadn't even asked how Finn was doing. Was it all about professionalism in the Broadway world?

"What's going on?" Finn asked.

"Funny Girl called," Rachel sighed. "They want me to go back to rehearsals." She didn't want to go back to New York. She wanted to stay here with Finn.

Finn looked sad. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'm going to miss you too," Rachel sighed. The last time she'd left Finn at the wedding, it ended up almost being the last time she ever saw him. She hated the idea of leaving him. The part didn't matter anymore. She just wanted Finn to be okay.

"Thank you so much," Finn said, taking Rachel's hand. "It's been amazing having you here, to help me with everything... and just being here for me..."

"Of course I am," Rachel said. She wanted to tell Finn that she loved him, but he said that he wasn't ready to be together again. She understood. Being with him as a friend was good too. "I don't want to leave you... I'll be worried about you all the time." She saw how scared he was and that he was still adjusting to everything. Sure, having her there didn't make that go away... but she at least would worry about him less if she was there.

"This is your dream role," Finn said. "You've wanted it forever... and there's been enough drama, especially with what happened with Santana."

Rachel looked at Finn. "I know, but what's more important to me is you."

Finn looked into Rachel's eyes. "I hope you know how much I appreciate everything you've done. You left your life in New York to be with me. You've always been there for me if I needed someone and you've helped me feel better."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, really," Finn said.

"I hope you know that you can always call me, even after I go back to New York," Rachel said. "I just don't want to leave you."

"Hey," Finn said. "I understand. I'm not alone. I'm going to still have my mom and Kurt and Burt, and lots of the people in the glee club are here too."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "So I don't have to worry. Just promise me something - you'll take care of yourself."

Finn nodded. "I promise."

Rachel hated the vision of Finn waking up in the middle of the night and crying, or of his random breakdowns happening and her not being there to hug him. "I'm just so proud of you."

"I'm managing," Finn said.

"If this was me, I don't think I'd be doing as well as you are," Rachel said. "I don't think I could have managed to escape."

"I just had to get out of there," Finn said.

"And you did," Rachel said. "And when those living pieces of garbage are put on trial, I'm going to be there to see them get what they deserve." Really, Rachel was going to have a hard time resisting the urge to blow up at Sue and the OSU students. She was so glad Finn was here, but it broke her heart to see him unable to get out of bed without help and to see his wheelchair, braces, cast, bruises and stitches.

"I hope I don't have to go to court," Finn said. "I don't ever want to see them again."

"You shouldn't have to go," Rachel said. "All of us are going to be there to give them hell."

Finn looked nervous, but he smiled tentatively at Rachel. "Thanks." He looked sad again. "So when do you have to leave by?"

Rachel groaned. "I really don't want to leave, but they want me for rehearsals with the show opening this fall..." She got out her iPad and started looking for flights to New York. "I wish they'd understand..." She tried to think of the right words. Why couldn't they understand that the man she loved had nearly died and that she wanted to be with him right now?

"I don't want you to leave either, but I get it," Finn said. "You have a life, you have the diner and rehearsals and in the fall you'll have NYADA..."

"But none of that's as important to me as you," Rachel said.

Finn leaned over and kissed Rachel. Rachel couldn't believe it. Didn't he not want to be together right now? "I love you," Finn said.

"I love you too," Rachel said. "I'm always going to love you..." What was she supposed to say? He wasn't ready for a relationship...

Finn kissed Rachel again. This time, Rachel deepened the kiss, loving getting to do this again.


	18. Chapter 18: New Directions Reunited

_Hi everyone! Thanks so much for your support of this story. Something BIG happens in this chapter... something that I've been waiting to do since I first started this story, and something I'm sure many of you were looking forward to as well. The timing finally felt right :) I also finally wrote in appearances of the Glee club, and I always love writing them together. Hope those of you who are still watching enjoy Glee tomorrow - hard to believe it's the second last episode ever. And of course, hope you all enjoy this chapter and drop me a review if I should keep writing!_

Chapter 18: New Directions Reunited

Rachel was going to need to return to New York in three days.

She didn't want to go back. After nearly losing Finn once, she was too worried about possibly losing him again, or someone else she loved. Every time she saw his wheelchair, braces, cast, stitches and bruises, it made her so sad for him, but also so determined to help him get better. She knew that in a week he'd be starting physical therapy, and she hoped that would go well.

Neither she nor Finn had said anything about the kiss. She knew that he wasn't ready to be back together, but she'd enjoyed the kiss, and she could tell he had, too.

"So, Blaine called me this morning," Kurt said, coming into the living room with Finn and Rachel. "He and Sam are in Ohio for the weekend to visit their families."

"Are you going to spend any time with Blaine?" Finn asked Kurt.

"Yeah, of course," Kurt said. "I mean, now that we're living together in New York we spend a lot of time together... it's starting to feel like the old days."

"Still not back together though?" Finn asked.

"Not yet," Kurt sighed. "I want to get back together, I don't know if he does..."

"You should get back together," Finn said. "I know you love him and I know he loves you."

"I'll talk to him," Kurt said.

"Yeah, you should talk to him," Rachel encouraged Kurt. Thinking about what Finn had said, she again found herself thinking about her and Finn. He had been the one to initiate the kiss. Was he ready for them get back together, too?

"You know, with Blaine and Sam in town, everyone's in town right now," Kurt told Finn. "Mike, Mercedes and Quinn are home for the summer, Puck's on his time off and Santana and Brittany came to visit their parents a few days ago."

"Really?" Finn asked. "I'd love to see everyone."

Carole came in. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Mom, do you think maybe we could have the glee club over for lunch?" Finn asked. "I'd really like to see everyone."

"Of course," Carole said.

"I'll text everyone," Kurt said.

"Yeah, I'll go pick up some food," Carole said. "I haven't seen most of them in a while, and it would be nice to see them."

"I'll go with you," Kurt told Carole. Kurt and Carole left the room, leaving Finn and Rachel alone.

Being alone with Finn made Rachel want to speak up. "Finn, you know how you were talking to Kurt about him and Blaine?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "Some people are meant to be, and Kurt and Blaine are some of those people."

Rachel didn't want to put pressure on Finn, but she tried to think of a way to ask him if the kiss meant he was ready to get back with her. "What about us?"

"I know we're meant to be together," Finn said. "I have for years."

"It was really good to kiss you again," Rachel told Finn. "I missed kissing you."

"I missed kissing you, too," Finn said. "I missed you so much this year, Rachel."

"I missed you too," Rachel said. "The only reason I dated Brody was because I missed you so much. When we were together, everything was always better because I had you with me."

"It was the same for me with you," Finn said. "You always had a way of making things better for me." He looked into Rachel's eyes. "You know, I wish you were still my girlfriend."

"I wish you were still my boyfriend," Rachel said. "Why don't we fix that?"

"So you want to be my girlfriend again?" Finn asked.

Rachel smiled, happy that Finn wanted to get back together. "Yeah, nothing would make me happier." This time, she leaned in and kissed Finn. "I've been wanting to do that ever since I found out you were still here," Rachel whispered.

"You don't have to hold back anymore," Finn said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Rachel said. "I don't want to go back to New York, Finn. I want to stay here with you."

"It's your dream, Rachel," Finn said. "If I'm well enough, I'm going to be in the front row on opening night."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said.

Rachel snuggled up to Finn. "I love you. I know I keep saying that, but I really do, more than I can say. I'm just so happy you're here."

"I know this is sounding weird, but I've been feeling better since you came here," Finn said.

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, really," Finn said.

"Well, I'm glad to help," Rachel said.

x

Finn had wanted to get back together with Rachel all year, and now they finally were back together. At first he was hesitant to get back together because he was worried that being in a relationship would add too much stress to his life, but he'd been reminded by the way Rachel had stood by him and supported him that it was a good thing - a very good thing. Without Rachel, his parents and Kurt, he probably wouldn't have made it through the aftermath. He knew that his body was very badly damaged by the attacks and there was no knowing whether it would ever be okay again, but Rachel and his family had helped to heal his mind.

After watching a movie with Rachel, Kurt came into the living room. "So, the glee club's going to be here soon. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds great," Finn said. "I can't wait to see everyone."

"Everyone's excited to see you," Kurt said. "It'll nice to all be getting together for a happy reason."

"I know," Rachel agreed. "The last few times we got together were not happy."

"My dad and your mom are getting the food ready," Kurt said. "We got some traditional summer barbecue food... does that sound good?"

"You know I love food, Kurt," Finn said.

"I'm glad that hasn't changed," Kurt said.

"And I finally slept all through the night," Finn said. "That hasn't happened since before everything happened." He was just realizing that now. He was making progress.

"You did?" Kurt asked. "Finn, that's great."

"Yeah, I'm so proud of you," Rachel added.

Burt and Carole came in. "We're getting the food ready, Finn. Are you excited to see your friends?" Carole asked.

"Yeah, I am," Finn said. "Mom, Burt, Kurt... I should probably tell you something." He hoped his parents and brother would be supportive of him and Rachel being together again. "Rachel and I are back together. She's really helped me ever since I got out of the basement and I love her..."

"We knew it was only a matter of time," Carole said. "And we're very happy for both of you."

"We're happy too," Rachel said, snuggling up to Finn.

The doorbell rang, and Burt went to answer it. Burt soon came back into the living room with Blaine, Sam, Artie, Mike and Puck. "Finn!" Sam exclaimed, running over to give Finn a hug.

Finn smiled. "Hey guys! It's great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too," Mike said. "We didn't think we would."

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, you are," Sam said. "The five of us were having an xbox session... you'll have to join us for the next one."

"I'd love to," Finn said.

"So, are you adjusting okay to the chair?" Artie asked Finn.

"As okay as I can," Finn admitted. "I'm still figuring everything out. I start physical therapy next week, and my back's been hurting less, so hopefully I won't need it for too long."

"Well, no matter how long you need it, you can ask me if you have any questions," Artie said.

"Thanks," Finn said.

"You do look better than you did when I saw you in the hospital," Puck said.

"Well, I'm feeling better," Finn said. "It's really nice to be home."

"I bet it is," Blaine said. He gave Kurt a playful look. "Has your brother been taking good care of you?"

"Yeah, he sure is," Finn said.

"Good," Blaine said. "After my eye injury, I know he's really good at taking care of people."

"Oh, you!" Kurt said, putting his arm around Blaine.

"So, I see someone else is here, too," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Don't worry, guys. I've been taking good care of your bro."

"She would always take good care of her BOYFRIEND," Finn said proudly, wanting his friends to know that he and Rachel were back together.

"Boyfriend?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "This time we're together, and it's going to be forever."

"I promise you guys won't have to deal with any more dramatic breakups," Rachel laughed.

The doorbell rang, and Kurt went to answer it. This time, Mercedes, Tina, Quinn, Santana and Brittany came in. "Hey Frankenteen," Santana said.

"Hey guys," Finn said, hugging the girls."

"It's so great to see you," Tina said.

"I'm glad you could come," Finn said.

"So, how's the recovery going?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm recovering," Finn said. "Being home and being with Rachel and my family definitely helps."

"You're going to be out of that wheelchair before you know it, Finn," Quinn said. "I know that from experience."

"Honestly the wheelchair doesn't really matter to me," Finn admitted. "I'm just glad that I'm here and with the people who are important to me."

Then Finn noticed Marley, Jake, Ryder, Kitty and Unique coming in. "Hey guys!" Finn said.

"Hey you," Ryder said, coming over to hug Finn. "How's it feel to be home?"

"It's good," Finn said as he hugged the kids he coached in glee. "Thanks for coming today."

"We missed you so much," Marley said.

"I missed you too," Finn said.

"And don't worry Finn, we'll make sure Sue goes to hell," Kitty said.

"And those OSU kids too," Jake added.

"Well, I think they'll get what they deserve," Finn said.

"They better," Santana said. "If not I can use my Lima Heights skills on them."

"Yeah, they aren't going to know what they're dealing with if we get loose on them," Puck said.

"Well, I'm glad that I have you all on my side," Finn said.

"Of course you do," Sam said.

"We love you, Finn," Blaine said.

"I'm just glad we're all together again," Finn said.

"We all are," Rachel said, giving Finn a hug.

The rest of the group came over for a big group hug before spendign the rest of the day all hanging out.


	19. Chapter 19: Goodbyes

_Hi guys! Thanks so much for all the support on the last chapter. It means a lot to me. I know that Rachel leaves Ohio in this chapter, but don't worry, that won't mean trouble for Finchel. She'll be with him during every step of his recovery, no matter where she is. Hope you enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going! _

_And in case I don't update before then - enjoy the finale. I can't believe the end is really here. As angry as I am about how Glee handled things after Cory's death and how they're ending the show, the show will always be special to me and I am sad to see it go. I just hope the fandom doesn't fall apart._

Chapter 19: Goodbyes

Today was the day Finn was not looking forward to - Rachel and Kurt were heading back to New York. Kurt and Rachel had helped Finn so much since he had escaped. They'd been there for him when he needed someone to talk to and they'd also done a good job at distracting him from thinking about his situation. He'd still have his parents, and the people home from college for the summer were still here, but he would definitely miss his girlfriend and his brother.

Right now, Finn, his family and Rachel were having lunch before they drove to Cleveland to take Rachel and Kurt to the airport. Finn had a feeling Rachel and Kurt had booked tickets from Cleveland rather than Columbus, like they usually did, to avoid going to Columbus. Finn had no problem with that. He didn't think he'd ever want to go back to Columbus, maybe not even drive through it. That city was forever going to be associated with being kidnapped and abused in a basement.

Carole was currently going through the mail and suddenly held up an envelope. "Something from a law firm in Columbus came..."

"Wonder what that is?" Burt asked.

Carole opened the envelope. "Oh, it's a statement from the families of the OSU students."

A statement? What was there to say about this? They'd already gotten apology statements from the neighborhood, the mayor of Columbus, and OSU. "What excuses are they making for their kids?" Finn asked.

Carole read the piece of paper. "We hope the Hudson-Hummel family will accept our most heartfelt apologies for what our children did to their son Finn. We are shocked and horrified by what our children have done. Their actions are inexcusable and unforgivable, and we do not know how the devil got a hold of our children. Our children now understand how wrong what they've done is, and they pray every day for forgiveness, as do we. To all the people who our children hurt by what they did to Finn - we know this won't make a difference, but we truly are so, so sorry. We wish Finn a quick recovery and hope that he and his family find peace."

"Well, at least their parents are apologizing," Finn said.

"Yeah, they are, but didn't you notice the contradictions in their statement, Finn?" Kurt asked. "They said their childrens' actions were unforgivable, and then they talked about asking for forgiveness."

"That's true," Finn said. "They probably are just hoping that by apologizing, we'll try to let the kids have a lesser sentence."

"Well, that's not going to happen," Rachel said. "I hope that those kids and Sue spend the rest of their lives in jail."

"Our lawyers are definitely going to push for that," Burt said. "Like I said before, Finn being a congressman's son is definitely going to make for a longer time in prison than if it was an everyday person's kid."

"The parents probably don't like the idea of their children being in prison, but that's what they deserve," Rachel snapped. "I don't know about anyone else, but I'm never going to forgive them for what they did to Finn."

"I don't think any of us are," Carole said.

"Maybe some time in jail will help those kids realize how wrong what they did is," Kurt said. "I bet they're already disliking being in jail and they're trying to use this as a way to get out."

"It's not going to work," Burt said.

As they continued eating, Finn kept thinking about the statement. Sure, on paper it seemed nice. But those kids had kept him in the basement for MONTHS. If Sue did make them uncomfortable, as the police said, why didn't they call the police themselves? Why had they continued to physically abuse him when he complained of pain? Why had the females sexually assaulted him? Why had any of this happened?

"You okay?" Rachel asked Finn.

"Yeah," Finn said. "Just getting that... brought back memories."

"I'm sure it did, honey," Carole said. "But don't worry. They aren't going to be anywhere near you ever again."

Finn nodded. He knew they wouldn't be allowed near him again, but he couldn't stop thinking. He instead turned to Rachel and Kurt. "You know, I'm really going to miss you when you go back to New York."

"We can talk on the phone EVERY day," Rachel told Finn.

"Every day?" Finn asked, smiling at Rachel.

"EVERY day," Rachel said. "I let you go at the beginning of the year and then I almost lost you."

"What's going to happen to us?" Finn asked Rachel. When he told her he wanted to get back together, he'd momentarily forgotten that she was going to be in New York and he was here.

"Hey, we're not going to be apart forever," Rachel said. "After we both finish school, we could find a place."

"What if your show's still going on?" Finn asked.

"Stop worrying," Rachel said. "We'll find a way for it to work."

"Just like Blaine and me," Kurt said.

Finn looked at his brother. "Is there something you want to share with us?"

Kurt smiled. "Last night Blaine and I got back together."

Rachel ran over to hug her best friend. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kurt said.

"That's great," Finn told his brother.

"Both of you back with the people you love," Burt said. "Just like the good old days."

"Yeah," Finn said, squeezing Rachel's hand. He groaned as the alarm went off. It was time to leave for the airport. He was sad to see his brother and his girlfriend leaving, but he didn't have to say goodbye to them just yet. "Can I come to the airport to take them?" he managed to ask. He hadn't left the house since his therapy appointment... but this would be another chance to work toward getting back to normal, and more time to spend with Kurt and Rachel.

"Honey, are you sure?" Carole asked.

Finn wasn't sure. There would be a LOT of people at the airport. And since his story was all over the news, there was a chance someone would know who he was. But he also knew that he wanted to spend more time with his brother and his girlfriend. "Yeah, I want to go."

Burt, Carole, Kurt and Rachel all looked surprised. "All right," Burt said. "Let's get going."

Finn took some deep breaths as his mom wheeled him out of the house. It was less scary to leave than it was the first time he left, but at least he knew he had his family with him. His parents helped him into the car before they drove to the airport. Kurt was talking about Vogue and NYADA, but Rachel was being quiet, quieter than Finn had seen her in a while. She held Finn's hand and began rubbing circles into it.

"I'm going to miss you," Finn whispered to Rachel.

"I'll miss you too," Rachel said. "I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Finn said, giving Rachel a half smile.

Rachel leaned against Finn and it felt so good to feel to have her doing that again. They sat pretty quietly in the car until they pulled up into the airport. Kurt and Rachel got out their suitcases before turning to Finn. "I'm so glad we got to be together for a while," Kurt said. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I missed you, little brother," Finn said.

Kurt gave Finn a hug. "I'll skype with you soon, okay?"

"You'd better," Finn said. "Though you don't have to tonight, I have a feeling I know what you and Blaine will be doing..."

Kurt made a face. "Finn!"

"Just be glad I'm here to tease you!" Finn said.

"I am," Kurt said, giving Finn another hug as Rachel joined in the hug. "I love you, Finn," Rachel said softly.

"I love you too," Finn said. "Thank you so much for everything."

Rachel looked sad, and Finn didn't want to show that he was sad, too. It would probably make her more sad. "I'll come visit again soon, okay?"

"Okay," Finn said as he gave Rachel a kiss. He watched Kurt and Rachel head down the terminal. As he and his parents got in the car, Finn spoke. "I didn't think saying goodbye would be so hard."

"You'll see them soon, sweetheart," Carole said as she and Burt helped Finn back into the car.

Finn sat quietly in the car as they drove home. Finn had been making progress, but he had a feeling that things would be hard without his brother and girlfriend...

"Finn, we were thinking, you probably don't want to go back to University of Lima, right?" Burt asked, interrupting Finn's thoughts.

"No," Finn said. "I really don't."

"So, I was also thinking," Burt added. "Next week I'll be returning to Congress. You know I spend a lot of time there during Congress sessions and we own an apartment down there. What would you think of going to school down in DC this fall? It would be far away from University of Lima, so you wouldn't have to risk running into things that would remind you of everything that happened..."

Finn paused. He knew he wanted to return to college and get back to a normal life as soon as possible. But in a completely different city? One he'd only been to a few times in his life? "I don't know... I just know I don't want to go back to University of Lima."

"And we don't blame you," Carole said. "Like Burt said, he's down there a lot during congress sessions, so you could stay at the apartment during terms of college and come home on breaks. And he'd be with you, and I would be down there a lot, too, so you wouldn't be alone."

Finn's mom knew him well. He wouldn't like the idea of being alone in the apartment when congress wasn't in session and school was. "I'll think about it."

"Okay," Carole said. "It's just something to consider."

x

Rachel looked out the plane window. She didn't know how far they were from Lima, but it had been a while. Saying goodbye to Finn at the airport had been so hard. The last time she'd seen him in person, she'd left the hotel room while he was still asleep and they hadn't even had a proper goodbye. That was almost the last time she ever saw him.

"You okay?" Kurt asked Rachel.

Rachel sighed. "I miss him already."

"I know you do," Kurt said. "But he wants you to get back to rehearsals and the show. He said he'll be there for your opening night."

"Yeah," Rachel said, staring on the window some more.

"He's going to be okay," Kurt told Rachel. "Our parents are making sure he's getting taken care of. The people who hurt him are in jail and he's going to therapy and seeing doctors. He'll be fine."

"I love him so much," Rachel sighed.

"I know you do," Kurt said.

"I know I can't change what happened, but I feel so bad about everything," Rachel said. "Every time I looked at him and saw his braces and his cast and his bruises and stitches, I would think about how it could have been avoided. What if I'd stuck with my plans of deferring? What if he was in New York?"

"He'll be okay," Kurt repeated, hugging Rachel.

Rachel hugged Kurt back. She felt tears coming to her eyes, but she knew she couldn't cry on the plane. She just hoped Finn would be doing as well as he could, considering the circumstances.


	20. Chapter 20: Standing

_Hi everyone. So, I know it's been a while. I've never gone this long without updating. I posted a letter to my followers on my Tumblr and also sent it to many of the people who've left me reviews by inbox, but the short version is - the way Glee ended for Rachel really upset me, and I couldn't write for a while knowing what the writers did. It still upsets me, but at least now I do feel ready to write again. I'm sorry I took so long, but if any of you are still out there, I'm still here. I also am at work on the next chapter of my Season 6, because I don't want Finchel to die in the fanfic world. Hope you enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going.  
_

Chapter 20: Standing

Everyone else was returning to their normal lives, but Finn couldn't get back to his old life.

The past few weeks had been very lonely for Finn. Rachel and Kurt had gone back to New York, and everyone else who now lived out of state was also out of state again. Burt was even in DC during the weeks for congress. Carole was also going to work during the day again.

Finn's pain was starting to go away physically, at least to some extent, but he was still struggling emotionally. Even with Burt and his mom back in work, he still didn't want to be at home alone. When Carole went to work, she would often call one of the family members or friends of the family to come be at the house with Finn. Even though Finn appreciated what these people were doing for him, it was still hard for him to trust people after everything that happened, so he was usually distant while these people were at the house.

He and Rachel were talking on the phone every day, and that was the best part of Finn's day. Finn almost always would talk to Kurt as well, and sometimes he would talk to Blaine and Sam, or even Santana and Brittany. Finn loved hearing about everything that was happening in New York. It was a nice distraction from what was happening to him. At the same time, he couldn't help but think about what things had been like if he'd just gone to New York with Rachel after graduation. He probably wouldn't have been kidnapped and attacked...

Right now though, Finn was at therapy. Going to therapy still made him feel so helpless, but he wanted to get better. After all, he still didn't even want to be in his own house by himself. That was something he'd need to get over one day. After talking with the psychologist, Finn went to physical therapy. It was definitely progress to be able to start to make movements again, but he needed on to things to stand up. Well, now he was able to just hold on to railings and furniture to help himself stand rather than not be able to stand without help. He only had a crack in his spine, but there were his broken ribs and his sprained ankle... and because of the cast on his arm, he could really only use one hand to support himself as he held something.

"Good job," the therapist said as he watched Finn pull himself up. "You stood up by yourself."

"Yeah, but I can't stand up without the support of the railing," Finn grumbled.

"You'll get there," Carole told her son.

"I hope," Finn grumbled.

"You've made progress," the physical therapist said. "Want to try taking a few steps?"

The therapist thought Finn could take some steps? Wow. That really was something. "Okay." Holding on to the railing, Finn moved his leg without the sprained ankle, but it hurt. Then he tried moving his leg with the sprained ankle forward... and it hurt too much.

"Are you okay?" the therapist asked.

"I..." Finn began. He wanted to walk, but what was he supposed to say?

"Finn, you don't have to try walking again if you don't think you're ready," Carole said.

"I want to be ready," Finn said.

"I know you do," the therapist said. "But you need to..."

"I want to walk," Finn said. "I want to walk, and be able to be at the house by myself, and get dressed in the morning..."

"Hey," the therapist said. "You're going to do all those things. But it's going to take time."

Finn rolled his eyes. He'd been hearing it would take time. So why was time going by and he still wasn't doing those things?

"I think we've done enough for today," the therapist said.

Finn didn't even feel like arguing. "Okay." The therapist helped him into his wheelchair and he began wheeling around the therapy room as the therapist talked to his mom. Maybe he reacted too strongly. It was definitely something that he didn't need someone to help him stand...

Finn wheeled around the room, noticing the therapy animals with a group of kids. One of the dogs came over to Finn, as if the dog knew Finn was upset, and began rubbing himself against Finn's legs. "Hi," Finn said softly as the dog hopped on to his lap. Finn smiled as he pet the dog. "Hi. Hi."

The dog barked and looked up at Finn. Finn smiled at the dog and gave him another pat.

"Looks like you've found a friend," Carole said, coming up to Finn.

Finn smiled at his mom. "Yeah."

"He likes you," the therapist said.

"Well, he's a sweet dog," Finn said. He looked at the dog. "Is he a beagle?"

"He is," the therapist said. "His name is Coda."

"I like that name," Finn said, petting Coda again.

"I know today was a rough session for you," the therapist continued. "I know you're hoping to walk on your own, and it must be disappointing to know that you're not there yet."

"Yeah," Finn admitted.

"You're going to get there, though," the therapist said as the dog barked. "He knows you're going to get there, too."

x

As Finn and his mom drove home from the hospital, Carole looked over at Finn. "Honey, I'm really proud of you for trying to walk."

"I couldn't," Finn pointed out.

"Yeah, but what matters is that you want to get there," Carole said. "You're not letting this beat you."

Hearing that meant a lot to Finn. Between being in the wheelchair and being afraid to be home alone, Finn sometimes felt like this was beating him. "It's not going to beat me."

"That's right," Carole said. "I did get a letter from the court... the trial date is coming in a few weeks..."

Finn didn't want to have to go to the trial. "Are they going to make me go?"

"They might need a statement from you," Carole said. "I don't want you to have to go, and neither does Burt..."

"I don't want to have to see Sue or the students from OSU," Finn said.

"Burt and I will talk to the lawyers and the judge to see if there's a way for you not to have to be there," Carole said. "And we'd make sure we'd find someone to stay at the house with you while we were there..."

"Do you think I'll ever be able to be home alone?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Carole said. "It'll just take time. Have you thought at all about what you want to do in the fall in terms of school?"

Yes. Finn had thought about it. "I know I don't want to go back to University of Lima... but going to another school would be something new, and I wouldn't know anyone... it's so hard for me to trust people after everything that happened." As Finn had told his therapist, he hated that he was so closed to people these days. His therapist had told him that it was normal, but in the past he'd been such a people person, and now he was afraid to talk to new people.

"Well, look at it this way, Finn," Carole said. "If you do end up taking Burt's offer to go to school in DC, there aren't going to be reminders of what happened to you around the city. It'll be a different city with completely different people, and you won't need to go places that might remind you of what happened."

"Yeah," Finn said.

Carole pulled up into the family's driveway. As she wheeled Finn into the house, she looked at him. "I'm going to need to get to work soon."

"Okay," Finn said. He wheeled into the living room and turned on the TV, hoping whatever was on would be a nice distraction. After a little bit of watching TV, Finn's phone started ringing. He looked at his phone and saw that it was Rachel. He smiled and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey," Rachel said.

"Hey," Finn said. "How are you?"

"I miss you," Rachel said. "But other than that I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm doing okay," Finn said. "I miss you too. I had physical therapy today, and I tried to walk... but I just couldn't do it..."

"I'm so sorry," Rachel said. "You'll do it though, Finn. I believe in you."

Finn felt one of those half smiles he saved for Rachel coming. "Thanks, babe. Sometimes it's all so frustrating, you know? I wish I could have a normal life again, but I can't..."

"I can't say I know what you're going through because I don't," Rachel admitted. "But I do know you. And I believe that you can do this."

"Thanks," Finn said. "I miss you so much."  
"I miss you too," Rachel said. "Summers have always been a special time for us, except for last year... I mean, we basically spent every minute of every day together the summers before our junior year and our senior year... I wish I could have spent this summer at home with you, but with all the prep for the show I need to be in New York a lot..."

"It's okay, I understand," Finn said.

"I'll be coming home for the trial, whenever it is," Rachel said. "I'm going to make sure those people who hurt you get what they deserve."

"They actually did set a trial date," Finn told Rachel before revealing the date. "I don't want to have to go and see them again, Rachel..."

"I wish you didn't have to," Rachel said. "But I'll be there, and your family will be there, and I'm sure some of your other friends will be there, too."

"Yeah," Finn said. He found himself thinking again about the talk with his mom in the car. "Rachel... what do you think I should do about school in the fall?"

"What do you want to do?" Rachel asked.

"I don't really know," Finn admitted. "I just know I don't want to go back to University of Lima. Burt has an apartment in DC for when he's down there for congress stuff, and he told me that I could go to college in DC in the fall if I wanted, but I don't know. I haven't been to my family's apartment in DC, and it would be a completely different city to get used to... but at the same time, there wouldn't be reminders of what happened everywhere..."

"That's true," Rachel said. "Maybe you should consider going to school in DC. Plus, it's only a few hours away from New York, so I could come visit you on weekends easier than traveling between New York and Ohio."

"I'd like that," Finn said. "I really do want to go back to school in the fall and get back to as normal a life as I can. I may not be out of the wheelchair for another few months, but at least in school it could help me work toward my teaching license."

"I'm really glad you want to go back to school," Rachel told Finn. "You're not letting this take over you. Some people would have, but not you."

"You always know what to say," Finn said.

"Well, I try," Rachel admitted. "If you went to school in DC, would your parents be with you?"

"Burt's down there a lot for congress stuff anyways," Finn said. "And my mom could come be with me too. I still don't want to be alone..."

"Finn, that's normal," Rachel said.

"Whenever my mom goes to work, I have her call someone to come be at the house with me," Finn sighed. "What would it be like in a new city where we don't even know anyone?"

"You have time to decide," Rachel said. "Whatever you do I know you'll make the right choice."


	21. Chapter 21: DC

_Hey guys. Thanks so much for your very nice welcome back. I definitely missed hearing from all of you and writing about Finchel. It's definitely weird not having Glee anymore, but I hope we can keep Glee and Finchel going through fanfiction. Just a warning - the next chapter (Chapter 22) will have Sue and the OSU students in it, so I just wanted to warn you. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 21: DC

Finn looked out the window of his mom's car, not sure if this was a good idea. He hadn't left Lima since he got home from the hospital, but he did want to get back to a normal life. He wanted to go back to school. At least he thought he did.

He knew he couldn't go back to University of Lima. It would be too much of a reminder of what happened. His mom and Burt had suggested going ot school in DC in the fall, and Finn was open to that idea. Being away from Lima might be good for him, and Burt had assured him that he'd be at the apartment in DC with Finn, and Carole would be there at times too.

He'd applied to some schools in DC and was going down to DC with Carole to visit some schools while Burt was there in congress. These past few weeks in Lima had been pretty boring, honestly. He'd been going to physical therapy and psychological therapy, but since he still had his braces and his cast and his wheelchair, there wasn't much he could do. The members of New Directions and his friends who were home on summer break would come over to hang out while Carole was at work though, and Finn appreciated that. Marley, Jake, Ryder, Kitty and Unique were in the process of trying to convince the superintendent to bring back the glee club and find an advisor, and Finn hoped that would work out. Mr. Schuester had come by as well, and he told Finn that he and Mrs. Schuester were having a boy.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Carole asked Finn, interrupting his thoughts. "This is the first time you've really gone to an unfamiliar area since..."

"I'll be okay," Finn said. He was nervous too. He'd been out and about around Lima a few times, but his mom was right. He'd done research on these schools in DC online, but he hadn't actually been to any of them. But he wanted to have a normal life again, and in DC, no one would really know about what had happened. In Lima, Finn Hudson was known as the eighteen-year-old who'd been kidnapped and held hostage and abused. It had been all over the news. Whenever he went out in public, people were looking at him and talking quietly to each other.

"I know this is a big step for you," Carole said.

"Yeah," Finn said. "Mom, do you think down in DC, people will know about what happened to me?"

"I don't think it'll be as obvious as in Lima," Carole said. "There were things on the National news, since you're a congressman's son, but I don't think that people would see you and think, 'oh, that's him.'"

"Good," Finn said.

"You have made some other steps lately," Carole said.

That was true. Yesterday Carole had run to the post office for ten minutes to pick a package up. Finn had stayed at the house by himself. It was the first time he'd been alone at the house. He spent the entire time Carole was gone staring out the window, getting nervous any time a car drove by. When Carole got back, she noticed that Finn was shaking, something Finn himself hadn't even noticed. But at least he'd managed to be at home alone for ten minutes.

He'd also gotten his hair cut. He'd been terrified of scissors when Kurt tried to cut his hair, but with his cast and his injured clavicle, it was hard to reach up and comb, and even he could realize it was getting too long and messy. Carole said that he was squeezing his body close together while in the barber's chair, and he had his eyes closed the whole time. It was true - he was worried how he'd react if he saw the scissors. He felt his heart beating fast. But he hadn't panicked like he had during his previous run-in with scissors.

The car ride to DC had been pretty quiet, and now the car was approaching lots of tall buildings. Finn saw the Washington Monument. He'd forgotten how tall it was, and he hadn't seen it since the eighth grade class trip to DC. But at the same time, driving by these landmarks hit him that he was really here. He was really getting ready to go back to a normal life. But was he ready for a normal life?

Carole pulled up at an apartment building and helped Finn out of the car and into his chair. Burt was at a congress session, but he'd be getting in later today. Carole wheeled Finn into the building as they got in the elevator. Finally, they got off the elevator and went down the hall as Carole unlocked the door of an apartment.

Finn looked around the apartment. Burt and Carole had a living room and a kitchen set up. Carole led Finn down the hall to a bedroom with twin beds, two dressers and a desk. "We've always had this room set up in case you and Kurt came down," Carole said. "I know it's not much but..."

Finn smiled at his mom as he heard the apartment's doorbell ring. Carole went to answer the door, leaving Finn in the bedroom. When Carole came back, Finn was surprised by who was with her. "Rachel!" Finn exclaimed.

"Hey babe," Rachel said, coming over and giving Finn a kiss. "I had some time off this week, so I thought I'd take the train down here to look at colleges with you."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Finn said, kissing Rachel on the cheek. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," Rachel said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm hanging in there," Finn said. "I just wish things could be normal again."

"I know, but if it means anything, you look like you're doing better," Rachel said. "I do too. So, tell me about these schools you're looking at."

"Well, I'm looking at the community college, and I'm also looking at Washington DC State University," Finn said. "I applied to Georgetown and George Washington too, but I don't think I'd get in there..."

"You've got to be positive," Rachel said to Finn.

"Yeah," Finn said. "And this is close enough to New York that I'd get to see you more, and I'd also live in this apartment. How are things in New York?"

"They're great," Rachel said. "It looks like Funny Girl will open sometime in the winter, and it's great to have Blaine and Sam here. Artie's going to be coming in the fall too."

"If I am down here, that'll give me more people to see," Finn said. "The thing is, being in a completely new city... it's so hard to trust people after what happened. It might be hard for me to make friends at college..."

"I'm sure it is," Rachel said as she gave Finn a hug. "Have you been sleeping okay?"

"I get up in the middle of the night less," Finn admitted. "I'm just nervous about going to court. I don't want to have to see them again."

"How do you think they'll be sentenced?" Rachel asked.

"Our attorney is pushing for the maximum sentence," Carole said. "We're hoping for life imprisonment, but our attorney said that might not happen."

"They almost killed Finn!" Rachel protested.

Finn didn't like hearing talk like that. Instead, he turned to his mom. "Did you know Rachel was coming?"

"Yeah," Carole said. "When you told her you were visiting schools in DC this weekend, she called me and Burt and asked about coming to look with you."

"I appreciate that," Finn said to Rachel. "You look great, by the way."

"Thanks," Rachel said. "You're looking good too."

"Thanks," Finn said. He'd gone from about 200 pounds to a little under 180 during his time being locked up. His appetite was slowly coming back, but he still couldn't eat like he could before. He liked to think one day he would.

x

The next day, Finn, Rachel and Carole were walking around the campus of Washington DC State University. The campus was bigger than University of Lima's, though that was to be expected. They'd walked through the education building and had lunch at the dining hall (which had better food than University of Lima), and now they were meeting with an acdademic advisor. "So, this would be your first full semester of college," the advisor said to Finn."

Finn hadn't realized that - while all his friends he'd graduated with were going to be college sophomores, he would only be starting as a freshman. "Yeah." He didn't want to get into what had happened during his previous college experience. He was sure that his mom and Burt had said things in the e-mails that they sent.

"Well, your letters of recommendation from Will Schuester, Emma Pillsbury and Shannon Beiste were very complimentary of you and your teaching and leadership skills," the advisor continued. "They said that the kids loved working with you."

"I like to think they did," Finn said. "I loved working with them."

"And looking at your high school transcript, it's clear your grades really improved your junior and senior years," the advisor pointed out. "You had a C- average your freshman year, but ended up graduating with a B+ average."

"And he got all As his senior year," Rachel pointed out with pride.

"I noticed," the advisor said. "Now, of course, moving to DC would be a big change from Lima, Ohio..."

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I know." He didn't want to go into detail that part of the reason why he was considering going to school in DC was to get away from Lima, Ohio. So far the advisor hadn't indicated knowing anything about what happened to Finn, and he wanted it to stay that way. He knew that at University of Lima, everyone just knew that Finn Hudson was the guy who was kidnapped and locked in a basement.

"Are you okay with that?" the advisor asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I am."

"You seem nervous," the advisor pointed out.

Of course Finn was nervous. His whole life, he was probably going to have issues with trusting people and places. From what he'd heard, it was clear that he'd been getting stalked long before the kidnapping. "Just kind of nervous about switching schools, but this is where I need to be."

"University of Lima didn't work out," Carole said. "There were some issues with other students there." That was partially true. Finn tried his best to not appear nervous throughout the rest of the interview before he, his mom and Rachel left for a campus tour.

As Carole, Rachel and Finn were leaving campus, Finn saw a group of students talking and looking at them. Oh no. What if they somehow knew? "May we help you?" Rachel asked.

"Uh, he just looks familiar, like that congressman's son who got attacked and held hostage," one of the boys said.

People here knew, too? Was there ANY getting away from this? He was finally starting to feel normal again. He thought he could see himself doing well at this school and in DC. But people still knew. The story would probably be on the DC news since Burt was a congressman...

"And what does it matter if he does?" Rachel asked.

The students began stumbling over their words. "That's what I thought," Rachel said before wheeling Finn away, but Finn knew that the students knew it was him. It wasn't hard to do the math. Not only had Finn's photos been in the paper, but when people saw how many injuries he had, it would all add up.

Carole and Rachel helped Finn in to the car when Finn spoke again. "I guess I'm always going to be the guy who was held hostage in a basement."

"You're not," Carole said. "Look at all those people we saw who had no idea who you are. This isn't going to define the rest of your life, Finn."

"You're going to do amazing things," Rachel said. "You're going to get your degree and you'll be a great teacher and you'll direct a glee club that'll win a National championship. This was just one setback, Finn."

Finn managed to smile. "Thanks."

"Finn, Rachel, what do you two say we go do some sightseeing?" Carole asked. "Sound good?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "I think that sounds great."


	22. Chapter 22: Court

_Hi! Thanks so much for your reviews. I really appreciated them. This chapter was split into two parts, so the next part will be Chapter 23, since I wanted it to end on a cliffhanger. Anyway, enjoy and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 22: Court

Today was the court date, and Finn had never been more nervous in his life. He never wanted to see Sue or the OSU students again and was hoping he wouldn't have to go to the hearing. After all, the police had recorded the things he'd told them at the hospital. However, the judge had informed the family's lawyers that Finn would need to be there in case the judge needed another statement. Burt and Carole had both protested, but the judge was insistent that Finn be there.

Kurt and Rachel had come in from New York for the trial, as had the other McKinley graduates turned New Yorkers. It was the morning of the trial, and Finn had barely slept the previous night. He lay in his bed, thinking about everything, when Rachel came into his room. "Hi," Rachel said softly.

"Hi," Finn said. "Can you come up here and snuggle with me?"

Rachel gave Finn a small smile. "Of course." She climbed on to the bed and put her arms around Finn. "How are you doing?"

"I don't want to have to go to the hearing," Finn said.

"I know you don't," Rachel said. "I wish you didn't have to. They could have just played your statement from the hospital and had your family and friends talk about what happened."

"Yeah," Finn said. "I don't want to see Sue and those kids."

"I don't think I could look at them without wanting to hurt them," Rachel said. She gave Finn a kiss. 'So, have you been thinking about what you'll do about school?"

"Well, I don't know," Finn admitted. "I did like DC when we went there, but I'm not going to know anyone there if we go there. Burt's going to be doing Congress stuff a lot, and my mom will probably be back here in Ohio... I know I want to be away from everything that happened, but at the same time, I do want people I trust to be there if I need them... I know that sounds selfish but..."

"Of course that's not selfish," Rachel said. "You went through a really traumatic thing. I'm sure for a while, it's going to be hard to trust new people."

"Yeah," Finn admitted. "It will be."

Rachel began rubbing Finn's back. "Have you considered New York? When our lease at the loft is up, we are thinking of moving into a bigger place..."

Finn hadn't thought of that, but maybe that wasn't a bad idea. "I actually hadn't."

"There's lots of community colleges there you could go to," Rachel said. "There's some really good hospitals too that we could work something out with. Plus, you'd have me and Kurt there, and lots of your other friends, Artie's going to be there in the fall, and Blaine, Sam, Santana and Brittany are already there... you'd have a support network already there for you. And like what we were saying about DC, it is close to DC, so we could visit your mom and Burt when they were down there for congress, just like if you go to DC, I could visit you."

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Finn admitted. "If I went to New York, I would have you all right there if I ever needed anyone..."

"You would," Rachel said. "It breaks my heart to see you so scared and upset, Finn, and I want to do whatever I can to help you get better."

Finn managed to smile and gave Rachel a kiss right before he heard a knock on the door. He looked over and saw his mom. "Finn, Rachel, we should get going now."

Talking with Rachel had helped Finn feel better, but he still didn't want to go to the hearing. "Do I have to go?"

"I wish you didn't have to go, honey," Carole said. "The judge might need another statement from you."

Finn groaned. "I don't want to see them. They'll see me in my wheelchair with bruises and bandages and braces and they'll know..."

"They'll know they've lost," Rachel interrupted. "Because you're here and they're going to jail."

"Yeah," Finn said softly.

x

Burt, Carole, Kurt, Rachel and Finn drove quietly to the courthouse. After the family walked into the courthouse, Burt and Carole talked with the attorneys while Rachel and Kurt wheeled Finn around the courthouse in silence before walking to the courtroom. Finn looked around the room and saw that neither Sue nor the OSU students had arrived. He talked with his friends while he waited for his parents arrived. Burt and Carole came in with the attorneys, taking a seat with Finn. Carole sat on one side of Finn and Rachel sat on the other, with Burt on Carole's other side and Kurt on Rachel's. Some of Finn's extended family sat behind them. Behind the extended family were Mr. and Mrs. Schuester, Coach Beiste, Puck, Sam, Artie, Blaine, Mike, Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Mercedes, Tina, Ryder, Jake, Marley, Kitty and Unique.

Then Finn looked at the other side of the room. The OSU students were being led in by police, wearing handcuffs. One of the males and one of the females looked over at Finn, looking uncomfortable. The other two were just staring at the front of the room.

Then Coach Sylvester was led into the courtroom. It was the first time Finn had seen her wearing something other than a tracksuit. Carole took Finn's hand, knowing that Finn was afraid. Rachel put her arm around Finn. Finn tried to take some deep breaths as the judge entered the room. Finn could barely listen to the opening statements from the judge, but then something caught his ear. The judge was asking for statements from the defendants. What could the students and Coach Sylvester possibly have to say?

One of the female students stood up. "Hi. I'm Holly McCoy. I am so, so sorry. I'm sorry for what I did. I should have said no when we were approached about doing this. This was something that I didn't want to do. I didn't think we would actually go through with it. I don't know what I can say because there's not a proper way to apologize for what I've done. I'm praying for Finn and his family every day, and I'm praying for forgiveness. Thank you."

At least this girl recognized what she'd done was wrong. And at least she'd apologized. After all, she would sometimes bring him food, and she wasn't as violent as the other female and the male who'd picked him up. But she'd continued to allow this to happen. And she had pushed him. She hadn't gotten him help. Her apology was nice in theory, but...

Now the less violent of the two male students was standing. "My name is Brad Cohen. My roommates and I have done an awful thing, and I'm sorry for it. We hurt Finn, we hurt his family, we hurt his friends, and we hurt and disappointed and shamed our families, our friends and the OSU community. When we were approached about doing this, we should have said no. We should not have taken Finn into our house, and we should not have hurt him. I want to apologize to Finn, his family and friends, my family and friends, the court, the state of Ohio, and my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ. Thank you."

The judge asked the other students and Coach Sylvester if they wanted to speak. They declined. At least two of the students had the decency to acknowledge what they'd done was wrong. The attorney began to speak about how neither Sue nor the students deserved severe sentences: Sue because she hadn't actually carried it out and had the students do the work, and the students because they had admitted what they'd done and accepted responsibility. Finn didn't buy that though. Sue and these students had caused him so much pain, physical and emotional.

Finn wasn't asked to make any statements for a while. He listened as his family and friends talked about their fear while he was gone and how much he'd been struggling since he was found. Police and medical professionals spoke about how Finn would have died if he hadn't been found. The glee club members, Mr. and Mrs. Schuester, and Coach Beiste spoke about how Finn and the glee club were targetted by Coach Sylvester when they were in high school. Finn wished he could just leave the courtroom. He was looking down, but he knew that these students and Coach Sylvester were still there.

The family members and friends of the OSU students spoke about how they thought that these were "good kids" and they couldn't believe that they'd come close to taking a human life, that they agreed to go along with it all. Finn didn't take any of that seriously. Good people would not kidnap someone, lock them in a basement for months, push them, hit them, and sometimes go for days without feeding them. Everyone chose to do things that hurt people from time to time, but this wasn't even something like keying a car or spreading a rumor about someone. They'd put his life in danger. He was never going to be able to believe that these were good people. Were they really sorry for what they'd done to Finn, or were they just sorry that they got caught?

"Are you okay?" Rachel whispered to Finn.

Finn shook his head. "What if they hurt me again?"

"There's police right here," Rachel whispered, putting her arm around Finn. "They aren't going to let them near you."

Finn nodded nervously. He heard his statement being played on the tape recorder, and hearing his story recapped was making him scared. He'd tried to put those memories out of his head, but hearing himself talk about it was if that had just happened. He squeezed his mom's hand and leaned against Rachel's shoulder as he listened.

At the end of the statement recording from the hospital, the judge turned the defendant side. "How can any of you say that these are good kids when they do this to someone? It may not have been their idea, but they still did it. They locked Finn in their basement. They pushed him and hit him. Mr. Wilson attacked him with the knife. How can you defend them?"

The judge had taken the thoughts out of Finn's mind. These were not good people. Then the judge turned to Finn. "Mr. Hudson, is there anything you would like to add to your recorded statement?"

Finn wanted to tell Coach Sylvester and the students what he really wanted for them. He wished that they could have the death penalty. He wanted them to burn and rot in hell. But he couldn't say that in court. The truth was that he was too afraid to even face them. But he couldn't say that. That would give them a victory. "I think everything that needs to be said was said in my recorded statement and by my family and friends."

"Do you have a recommendation for the sentence?" the judge asked.

"Please give them the maximum possible sentence," Finn managed to say. "After what they did to me, how scared I was, how hurt I was, what they deprived me of... I don't think they deserve to be out in the world enjoying the things other college students get to enjoy. And if it was up to me, Coach Sylvester would have been in jail a long time ago after how she treated students and teachers at McKinley."

Coach Sylvester jumped up. "Shut up! Your stupid glee club had no place at the school... I could have had them kill you if I wanted to..."

Finn worked through all his fears to face Coach Sylvester. "Not liking a club I was in is no reason to hurt me or kill me. You are a sociopath, you're sick, you're a psycho, and jail is where you need to be."

After Finn spoke, he heard his family and friends applauding. However, that had taken more courage than he thought he had. He wheeled back to his family, where his parents, Kurt and Rachel hugged him.

"Thank you, Mr. Hudson," the judge said. "I'm going to dismiss the court now. We can return for the sentencing tomorrow."

Tomorrow? The sentencing was going to be tomorrow? It was hard enough for Finn to be in the same room as these people again, and now he'd have to see them again?


	23. Chapter 23: Lifetime

_Hey everyone. Sorry it took so long for me to update. Like I said with my last update, I've had lots of things going on with work and family, so I haven't had as much time to write. The good news is I'm already working on my next chapter of both stories. Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going._

Chapter 23: Lifetime

"I don't want to have to see them again tomorrow," Finn said as he wheeled into the therapy center with his family and Rachel. His parents had made an appointment for him to go to therapy after the hearing, thinking this would be the only time he'd have to face the criminals. Now he was going to have to see them again tomorrow?

"I don't want you to, either," Burt said. "But Finn, this is a very serious crime, and there hasn't been a crime like this in this area for a while. The judge probably needs some time to consider everything."

"I get it, but I wish I didn't have to go," Finn said.

"I don't want you to go either," Carole said. "They might need more statements from you though."

Finn sighed. "Do you think they'll go to jail?"

"Oh, they're definitely going to jail," Kurt said. "The question is for how long."

"I was so proud of you for standing up to Sue in court," Rachel said.

"Yeah, that was pretty impressive," Kurt said. "It's about time someone stand up to her."

"I just want her in jail..." Finn began.

"I know you do," Carole said. "And it isn't fair that you have to see her again tomorrow."

The family arrived in the waiting room as Finn sat in silence, hoping that one day, this would pass. Finn's therapist came out of the office. "Hi Finn. Want to come talk?"

"Yeah," Finn said, wheeling his chair into the therapist's office.

"How was court?" the therapist asked.

"I wish I could say it's over, but it isn't," Finn said. "The sentencing is tomorrow."

"Oh no," the therapist said. "I'm sorry, Finn. I did tell your family's lawyer to ask the judge for you not to have to go..."

"I was worried they'd hurt me again," Finn admitted.

"You know they wouldn't hurt you again," the therapist reminded Finn. "Not in front of the police and the judge."

Finn sighed. "Coach Sylvester said she could have had them kill me if she wanted to... I had to tell her how wrong what she did was. It was the scariest thing I've ever done."

"That's really big," the therapist said. "That shows how far you've come."

"I guess," Finn admitted.

"What did the students do?" the therapist asked.

"The two who hurt me less actually apologized," Finn recalled. "But the others didn't say anything."

"I'm sorry," the therapist repeated. "What do you think of the apologies?"

"I don't know," Finn admitted. "I'm glad they're acknowledging what they did was wrong, but it doesn't change that they let me get hurt, they did hurt me at times, and they didn't get me out of there."

"I know," the therapist said.

"At the same time, I don't really know what to think," Finn continued. "I feel like the people who hurt me more should spend more time in jail... but..."

"Well, I'm sure the judge will take what you say into account," the therapist said. "Finn, it's okay if you think the people who hurt you more should have more time in jail."

x

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Rachel asked as she sat with Finn's family in the waiting room. She'd been so worried about Finn at court today.

"He will be," Carole said. "I just want him to get back to a normal life."

Rachel wondered if now would be a good idea to mention the idea of Finn going to New York, but maybe now wasn't the best time. She knew how hard court had been for Finn today, but she also knew that there were reminders of everything that happened all over Lima. It was true that there wouldn't be reminders in DC, but he wouldn't know anyone there. In New York, he'd have a built in support network. "Yeah, me too."

After Finn came out of the room, the therapist asked to talk to Burt and Carole as Finn looked over at Rachel and Kurt. "Walk with me?"

"Yeah, of course," Kurt said, getting up to push Finn's wheelchair as Rachel walked alongside him. "Where to?"

"Can we go to the room with the dogs?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, of course," Kurt told Finn.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked.

"Okay, I guess," Finn said. "My therapist was impressed by what happened today."

"Aren't we all?" Rachel asked. "You standing up to Sue was amazing."

"So, Finn, tomorrow, what are you hoping the judge does to your kidnappers?" Kurt asked.

"Well, I was talking about that with my therapist," Finn said. "Two of them did apologize... and the two who apologized did less things to me than the other two... the guy who didn't apologize was the one who took me there that night and tried to hurt me with the knife, and the girl who didn't apologize was the one who touched me in places I only want Rachel touching me..."

Rachel cringed again hearing about the knife and the touching. "Yeah, but Finn, all of them trapped you."

"My therapist got me thinking though," Finn admitted. "It's more about what the others didn't do. They didn't acknowledge that what they did was wrong and they didn't apologize, so I think that the two who hurt me less and apologized should get less time in jail than the people who did..."

"I guess that's fair," Rachel guessed. "Everyone hurt you though."

"Yeah," Finn said. "I wish I didn't have to see them again."

"After tomorrow, you won't have to," Rachel said.

Finn squeezed Rachel's hand as they arrived in the dog room. Rachel's heart broke when she saw Finn being helped out of his wheelchair by the therapists. A beagle came up to Finn and came onto his lap. Rachel noticed Finn smile as the dog got on his lap. "Is this a friend of yours?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "This is Coda." He patted the beagle.

"He loves Finn," one of the animal therapists said.

"Who wouldn't?" Rachel asked, kissing Finn on the cheek.

"How are you holding up?" the therapist asked Finn. "I know today was a tough day for you."

Finn snuggled up to the dog. "I survived. I have to go back tomorrow."

"He confronted the mastermind," Rachel said proudly.

The animal therapist smiled at him. "Good for you, Finn."

Rachel kissed Finn's head. "He's a brave one. I'm so proud of him."

"We're proud of him, too," the therapist told Rachel. "He's really made progress. And I can tell he's lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one," Rachel said. She felt lucky to have a man as strong as Finn.

x

Finn sat in the courtroom as recommendations for the sentences. He held on to Rachel's arm as the OSU students and Coach Sylvester came in. None of the students looked at Finn, but Coach Sylvester kept smirking over at Finn and his family. Finn wasn't the only one who'd thought about the difference between the two students who'd apologized and the others. Many people also pointed out how Coach Sylvester acted the previous day.

Eventually, the judge called Finn's name. "Mr. Hudson, after hearing more, is there any preferences you have for the sentencing?"

Finn took a deep breath. "Like others have said, Mr. Cohen and Ms. McCoy did apologize and were less violent with me, but they were part of this still. Mr. Wilson and Ms. Pitt should did more things to me, but everyone should have something, especially Ms. Sylvester." Finn didn't say anything else. He just wanted to get out of here and get on with his life...

"Will the defendants please stand?" the judge asked.

Sue and the OSU students stood as the judge continued talking. "There are several things that I need to take into consideration here. I will take the victim's request into account. We were not sure yesterday if Mr. Cohen and Ms. McCoy were being sincere with their apologies, but Mr. Hudson did tell us that they were less violent than the other two, hurt him less often and would give him food. It is also true that these two admitted to police what happened when we found them in Florida, whereas the others took longer to admit it. I can not ignore the fact that they did allow this to happen, they did sometimes go to the University of Lima campus, and they did hurt Finn, although not as much. Therefore, I am sentencing these two to twenty years in prison, with a possibility of parole in ten.

"Mr. Wilson and Ms. Pitt, you did not admit what happened until there was no way around it and have shown no remorse. Mr. Hudson and your roommates have also said that you were more violent, most notably Mr. Wilson attacking Mr. Hudson with a knife and Ms. Pitt sexually assaulting Mr. Hudson. We also need to note that Mr. Wilson was the one who took Mr. Hudson into his car that night and drove him to the house. I am sentencing you two to fifty years in prison for this very serious crime, with a possibility of parole in twenty."

"And we're all going to be at that parole hearing to make sure they don't get parole," Rachel whispered to Finn.

Finn managed to smile. He now knew that the OSU students wouldn't ever be near him again.

"Ms. Sylvester, although you refused to admit it, phone records and the statements of Mr. Cohen, Ms. McCoy, Ms. Pitt and Mr. Wilson show that you were, in fact, the mastermind behind this. And with all the stories I heard today, I'm honestly surprised this is your first time in court. You claimed that the intent was not to kill Mr. Hudson, just end the glee club, but just yesterday you said to Mr. Hudson, and I quote, 'I could have them kill you if I wanted to.' It bewilders me that a woman in her fifties hates a club at a school so much that she takes an alumni who's been helping the club and puts his life in danger, and answers 'I just don't like Will Schuester and those kids' when asked why she hates the club so much. If you don't like someone, you ignore them in the break room at work, you don't go to the glee club concerts. You do not bribe people to hold a young person in their home and hurt him. Someone like you should not be around youth. For planning this crime, that could have resulted in a death and has resulted in physical and emotional damage, and for how you've treated students and faculty at the school, I am sentencing you to prison for the rest of your natural life."

Finn expected Coach Sylvester to start throwing one of her famous temper tantrums, but she instead didn't say anything. Maybe now she finally realized how wrong what she'd done was.

The students and Coach Sylvester stayed silent as they were escorted out of the courtroom. When they were gone, Finn turned to his mom. "They're gone, honey," Carole said, hugging Finn. "You'll never have to see them again."

Finn snuggled up to his mom. "I don't ever want to do anything like this again."

"You won't," Burt said, coming over to rub Finn's back.

"Can we go home?" Finn asked.

"Of course," Burt said.

"I'm just glad they're going to jail," Finn said as the family left. "And I'm glad she got life imprisonment. I always knew she didn't like me... but I didn't think she'd do this."

"None of us did," Kurt said. "When we thought you were dead, she pretended to be grieving with us."

"Unbelievable," Finn snapped.

"She's gone," Rachel reminded Finn. "You won't ever need to see her again."

"I know," Finn said. His physical wounds may not have healed, but at least he knew that the criminals couldn't do anything else to him.


	24. Chapter 24: Now What?

_Hi guys. Thanks so much for the support on the last chapter. I appreciate it. This chapter - well, something happens that people have been wanting for a while. I'm definitely excited to take off from the end of the chapter. I won't say how long Finn will be staying - but he might stay for a while :) Anyway, enjoy and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 24: Now What?

Seeing Sue and the OSU students definitely took its toll on Finn.

He knew they were in jail now, but seeing them again brought back all the memories. He lay in his bed, trying to get those images out of his mind. They were in jail now. They wouldn't hurt him again.

He knew he couldn't stay in Lima. Not right now. As much as he loved his family and the glee club, there were too many reminders of what had happened here. His parents had offered to let him go to DC, but he thought right now, he needed to be in New York, with Rachel, Kurt and his friends. His doctors had said wherever he went, they'd talk to doctors at a hospital there to let treatments continue. There wouldn't be reminders of what happened in New York, and he'd have a support system there. Maybe going to New York for a little while with Rachel and Kurt would give him an idea if he wanted to be there.

Maybe he shouldn't be thinking right now. His parents and Kurt were in bed already. It was very late. Would he ever sleep completely through the night again? Or would he always be afraid of nightmares. "You can sleep," Finn mumbled to himself. "It's okay. You'll be okay. They can't hurt you."

x

Eventually Finn did fall asleep, and he didn't have a nightmare. That was progress. When he woke up the next morning, he called out, hoping someone could come help him out of bed. He was making progress in physical therapy, but his therapist still liked for someone to be there when he got out of bed just in case. He was too afraid to do much without holding on to the posts on his bed.

To Finn's surprise, Rachel came into his room. "Hey!"

"Hi," Rachel said, giving Finn a hug. "How was your night?"

"I slept all through the night," Finn said. "What are you doing here?"

"Kurt's making Blaine go to a show in Toledo, and your mom's at work and Burt's at the shop, so they called me to see if I could come over."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Finn said. "I'm glad they're doing normal things."

"Normal things?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "They don't have to spend all their time taking care of me..."

Rachel gave Finn a sympathetic look. "Honey, don't act like taking care of you is a burden. We want to make sure you're taken care of."

Finn smiled. "Thanks." He'd spent just about all night thinking about what he wanted to do with himself next. "Rachel, would it be okay if I went to New York with you for a few days?"

Rachel smiled. "You want to come to New York?"

"Well, for a few days to start with, just to see what it's like," Finn admitted. "I'm not sure how long I'll stay. But I know I need to get away from Lima for a little..."

"Of course you do," Rachel said.

"I hate to be a burden to everyone," Finn admitted. "You, my parents, Kurt, our friends..."

"You're not being a burden to anyone," Rachel said. "If this was any of us, we know you'd be doing everything you could to help."

"Yeah, but I still feel bad," Finn admitted.

Rachel took Finn's hands. "Finnegan Christopher Hudson, you are doing nothing wrong. You need us, and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah," Finn admitted. "I can't do this alone."

"No one's making you do it alone," Rachel said. "I never stopped thinking about you and loving you the whole time we were broken up."

"This time we won't break up," Finn told Rachel.

"That's right," Rachel said. "Now, what do you say we get out of bed?"

Finn smiled. "Okay." He held on to his bed posts as he stood up with Rachel spotting him. Rachel helped Finn into the wheelchair as they went into the living room. He didn't know if Rachel would be comfortable helping him get dressed, so he figured he'd stay in his pajamas right now. "Only two weeks until my cast comes off and I can wear the braces fewer hours a day," Finn told Rachel.

"I bet you're looking forward to that," Rachel said.

"I am," Finn said. "And if I'm still in New York by then, I'm sure we can find a hospital to help with that."

Rachel gave Finn a confused look. "I thought you were only going to come for a few days?"

Finn had been caught. "I don't know... it might be a few weeks."

"You know you're welcome for as long as you want," Rachel said.

Finn felt so lucky that Rachel was still so loving, even after what happened. "Rach, how are you still like this even after everything I did to you?"

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"You know, how I forced you onto that train and didn't contact you for four months?" Finn asked.

"I think the better question would be why you didn't stop loving me," Rachel said. "I'm the one who yelled at you in the auditorium back in October... and dated that gigolo..."

"Because I love you, and I know you're the one," Finn said.

"That's why I didn't stop loving you," Rachel said. "Because you're my soulmate."

"Has Brody tried contacting you lately?" Finn asked.

"Not lately," Rachel said. "I think you gave him the message that he needs to leave me alone. At first I thought he was the one who did that to you, or Jesse..."

"At least they aren't THAT evil," Finn said.

The door opened, and Finn's mom came in, clearly home on her lunch break. "Hi Finn. Hi Rachel."

"Hi Mom," Finn said.

"How are you doing today, honey?" Carole asked.

"I'm fine," Finn said. He took a deep breath before deciding to tell his mom what he'd been talking about with Rachel. "Mom, you know that Rachel and Kurt are going back to New York soon..."

Carole sat down. "Yes, honey. I know."

Finn looked at Rachel, then at his mom. "I want to go with them."

Carole looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "You've done so much for me since I got kidnapped, and I appreciate everything you've done - but I don't think being in Lima is what's best for me right now."

"What about DC?" Carole asked. "We were thinking that it could work for you there. Burt's there for congress stuff, and he and I could be there with you..."

Finn had liked the idea of DC. It would be something new, but at the same time, he wanted to be somewhere where he had a support system. "I went through a terrifying thing, Mom. It's going to take a while for me to get back to normal. I know I'd have you and Burt, but your job is here, and he'd be doing Congress stuff a lot. I'm not saying I'll stay in New York, but I'm not ruling out the possibility. I just want to try it out."

Carole looked at Rachel. "Honey, do you think you could go in the other room for a little? I'd like to talk to Finn alone."

Rachel nodded. "Of course."

As Rachel left, Finn found himself getting worried. Was his mom going to blame Rachel? He managed to speak. "Mom, it's just for a few days... I don't know if I'll stay in New York... and if you don't want me to go, I won't..."

"I will miss you if you move to New York," Carole said. "But this is your choice. This is your life. You nearly lost your life once, but you got it back. I want you to do what's best for you."

"I'm not making any decisions about New York," Finn reminded his mom.

"I know you're not," Carole said. "Just remember what I'm telling you. Do what's best for you, not just because your girlfriend's there."

Finn was surprised. "You think that's why I'm going to New York?"

"No, of course not," Carole said. "I'm sorry, Finn. I almost lost you once and I don't want to lose you again... but I think it would be good for you to be away from Lima for a while."

"I'm only going to New York for a few days to try it out," Finn said.

"I know," Carole said. "But if you want to stay there, that's okay. Just promise you'll call me every day?"

"Of course," Finn said. "Thank you for understanding."

x

A few days later, Finn, Rachel and Kurt were getting ready to go back to New York. Finn had packed enough clothes for about two weeks, but he'd told his mom that he might stay shorter. Rachel knew whatever Finn decided to do, she'd support him.

Shortly before leaving for the train station to New York, Carole came up to Rachel. "Can I talk to you for a little, honey?"

"Yeah, of course," Rachel said.

Carole closed the door to the bedroom that Finn was sleeping in. "If you don't want Finn to go to New York, he doesn't have to," Rachel began. She would love to have Finn in New York, but what Finn wanted came first, of course, and what his family wanted was not too close behind.

"It's not that," Carole said. "I think it'll be good for Finn to be in New York, away from everything that happened. Just... you take care of him, okay?"

"Of course I will," Rachel said. "You know how much I love Finn. If I didn't think it was a good idea for him to come to New York, I wouldn't have discussed it with him. And remember, it's only for a few days..."

"As much as I'll miss him, I am hoping he decides to stay in New York," Carole admitted. "Here in Lima there's too many reminders of what happened, and everyone here knows him as the guy who was kidnapped and held hostage... in New York, people won't know about that."

Rachel was surprised to hear Carole hoped Finn would stay in New York. "If he does stay, I'll take good care of him, I promise. We'll find a great college for him there and there's some excellent hospitals."

"I know," Carole said. "I talked to his doctors and they said that they can talk to doctors in New York about continuing his therapy there. You should try to find somewhere with animal therapy, because he loved those dogs..."

Rachel smiled. "I can do that."

"Good," Carole said. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for Finn... he's so lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one," Rachel said. She had always worried that Finn's family didn't like her or want her to date him because of her big ambitions, but that clearly wasn't the case.

x

Finn sat quietly in the car as his family drove to the train station. This was it. He was going to New York. A year ago he'd almost gone, and now he was going. It might only be temporary, but still, he was going. With Rachel. With Kurt. With his friends. Away from everything that had happened.

The car pulled up in the train station, and Burt and Kurt helped Finn out of the car and into his chair. Finn looked up at his mom and at Burt. "Thank you for everything you've done for me ever since..."

Carole gave Finn a hug. "We love you, honey."

"I love you, too," Finn said, hugging Carole and then Burt. "I'll call you every day, I promise."

"You can stay there for as long as you want," Burt said. "Whatever you decide to do, we'll support you."

Finn smiled. "Thanks." He gave his parents hugs before wheeling on to the train with Rachel and Kurt. The three of them talked during the train ride until he saw some skyscrapers outside the window. Familiar sights. Sights he recognized from his last trip.

He was here. He was in New York.


	25. Chapter 25: New York

_Well, let's start off today's update by wishing Cory a very happy birthday. We love you Cory, and we miss you so much. Hope you're having a great day, wherever you are.  
_

_Thanks to all of you for your reviews on the last chapter. I'm glad you guys are happy to see Finn in New York. I won't say how long he'll stay, but he might stay there for good :) Hope you enjoy and review if I should keep going :)_

Chapter 25: New York

The train came to a stop in Grand Central Station, and Finn couldn't believe he'd made it to New York. As if Rachel knew what Finn was thinking, she turned to Finn and smiled. "Welcome to New York."

"Yeah, welcome to New York," Kurt added, helping Finn into his chair. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling pretty good," Finn said honestly. The ride to New York had been long, and he was a little tired, but other than that, it just felt good to be away from everything that had happened. "How far is it to the apartment from here?"

"Not far," Kurt said. "I texted Blaine to tell him we're in New York."

"Good," Finn said. He looked around the train station, eyeing the people there. Maybe he shouldn't be so paranoid. The people who hurt him wouldn't be in New York. They were in jail. And even if they weren't, there was no way for them to know that he was in New York.

"Oh crap," Finn thought out loud. "How will I get upstairs in my wheelchair?"

"There's a ramp," Kurt said. "You'll be fine."

"Good," Finn said.

"Don't worry about anything," Rachel assured Finn. "We have everything taken care of."

"Okay," Finn said, reaching up to put his hand on Rachel's pushing the wheelchair.

After a little walking, Finn recognized the building they were pulling up to. This was the building that the loft was in. Finn turned to Rachel. "We're here."

"Yeah, we're here," Rachel said. "Let's go in." She pushed Finn's chair into the loft while Kurt carried in the luggage. When they arrived, Blaine, Sam, Santana and Brittany were in the living room, and the room was decorated with balloons and streamers. Finn didn't know what to say.

"Surprise!" everyone said.

"What's this?" Finn asked, still not sure.

"We wanted to throw you a little welcome to New York party," Santana said.

"Yeah, we got some food from one of our favorite restaurants here," Blaine added.

"Thank you," Finn repeated. His friends were doing this for him?

"We are hoping you stay here with us," Sam said, getting out some food.

"We'll see," Finn said. He was glad to have his friends with him, but he didn't know if he'd stay here. It depended how he was feeling.

"Well, how about we dig into this food?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Finn said.

x

The group had dinner together before they all headed for bed, and when it came time for bed, Finn found himself getting nervous. This was the first time he'd be sleeping somewhere other than his own house or the hospital. He knew that the doors were locked, but still...

Finn's thoughts were interrupted when he saw his phone ringing. He looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was his mom. He picked up the phone. "Hey Mom."

"Hi honey," Carole said. "Kurt texted me when you got to New York. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing fine," Finn said. "We had dinner, and now I'm getting ready for bed."

"How was the ride to New York?" Carole asked.

"It was fine," Finn said. "I'm just tired... and a little nervous."

"Nervous?" Carole asked.

"Yeah, this is the first time I've slept someplace other than home or the hospital since..."

"Honey, you'll be fine," Carole said. "You'll have Rachel sleeping right next to you, and you're with your brother and your friends."

"Yeah," Finn said. He knew his mom had sounded a bit nervous at first about him going to New York. He shouldn't worry her more. "I'm going to be okay though, Mom. Don't worry."

"I know you will," Carole said. "I just don't want you to worry."

"OKay," Finn said. "Good night, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too," Carole said before hanging up the phone. After hanging up the phone, Finn looked at Rachel.

"Baby, you don't need to be nervous," Rachel said as she helped Finn out of his chair and into the bed. "I'm right here."

Finn gave Rachel a kiss. "Thanks for letting me come here."

"You're welcome," Rachel said as she put her arms around Finn. "Good night."

"Good night," Finn whispered back. He had to admit, with Rachel's arms around him, he did feel safe.

x

Finn opened his eyes and looked around the room. He could tell by looking out the window that it was light out. New York was quieter than Finn thought it would be at night. At first when he woke up, he'd forgotten where he was. Then he saw Rachel sleeping beside him and remembered that he was in New York.

Finn looked over at Rachel, who was sound asleep. He took his uninjured arm and put it around her. He had woken up before she was awake, but he hadn't had any nightmares. That was something, wasn't it?

Rachel opened her eyes and looked over at Finn. "How's my amazing boyfriend?"

"You have a comfortable bed," Finn told Rachel.

"You've slept in it before," Rachel said, smiling at Finn. "When we were seniors in high school, you slept in it all the time."

"That's true," Finn said. "Our sleepovers when your dads were out of town on business and I told my mom I was going to the guys' houses."

"I wonder if our parents knew the truth," Rachel giggled.

"Probably," Finn said.

"So, I was thinking since it's your first day in New York, we should spend today showing you around the city," Rachel said. "Would you like that?"

"Yeah, I would," Finn said. "Can you maybe show me the theatre where you'll be performing?"

"Of course," Rachel said. "And maybe visit some of our spots in New York?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "Can you help me out of bed?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "First I'm going to see if our roommates are ready for a day in New York."

x

A little while later the group was leaving the loft and Rachel was determined to give Finn a fun day in the city. Tomorrow she'd have to go back to rehearsals, but she knew that Kurt, Santana and Brittany all had different shifts at the diner, and that Sam's photo shoot wasn't until later, so Finn wouldn't be alone.

"There's lots of people here," Finn pointed out as the group walked around.

"Yeah, did you forget from your last trip?" Santana asked.

"My last trip..." Finn began. He remembered that trip, but it had only been for about 24 hours...

"Stay away from my future wife!" Kurt said in a fake angry voice.

Rachel had to smile at that comment. She definitely hoped she was Finn's future wife... but there was no way of knowing. In an attempt to not let her freinds notice, she pointed at the football stadium they were passing. "So, you might like that place," she told Finn.

"That's a college football stadium," Santana said.

"College football is still cool," Finn said.

"But if you're still here when regular football season starts, you, me, Blaine and Artie will all need to go to Giants games," Sam said.

"For sure," Finn said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't understand football..." Rachel began. Then she stopped. Other than McKinley games, the one game she and Finn had gone to together was an OSU football game. Bringing up an OSU football game would probably remind Finn of the OSU students who'd held him captive in their house. At the time, they'd laughed about her not understanding the plays. But now, she didn't think she could bring that up. Luckily, they were passing someplace else familiar - someplace special to all of them. "It's the hall where Nationals were our junior year!" Rachel said, trying to shift the focus away.

"Yes!" Finn said. "The location for The Kiss of the Century."

"Oh, you mean you two ruining Nationals for us?" Santana asked.

"Hey, we won the next year!" Rachel said in defense.

"Yeah, and we pretty much led the glee club to that!" Finn said proudly.

It was good for Rachel to hear Finn sounding upbeat again. "We did."

"And here's the diner," Santana said as they walked by the diner. "Sometime you'll have to come for lunch."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Finn said.

After some more walking, the group arrived in Central Park. This was a special spot for Finn and Rachel. In fact, this place had helped bring Rachel comfort when she missed Finn this year, especially Bow Bridge. When she went to Central Park, it was as if she was with him.

As their friends were talking, Finn turned to Rachel and smiled. "It's our place."

"Yeah, it's our place," Finn said. "This was where we had our first date in New York."

"That was the best date I ever went on," Rachel said softly.

"Me too," Finn said, squeezing Rachel's hand.

"Hey, I remember that night," Sam jumped in. "You had me, Puck, Mike and Artie serenade you guys when you were on your way back to the hotel!"

"That was very romantic," Rachel said as they approached the bridge. "And this is where it all began."

"Yeah," Finn said. "This is."

Rachel pointed to a spot in the bridge where she'd carved "F+R" in. "Look Finn."

Finn smiled softly. "You did that?"

Rachel smiled. "Yeah, I did. When we were apart, I would always come here to feel closer to you..."

"I'm here now though," Finn said.

"Yeah," Rachel said, giving Finn a kiss. She looked over at their friends. "Sorry, we know you're here too."

"We get it, you're happy to have him back," Kurt said. "So are we."

Rachel again thought back to the first night in New York and decided she'd reenact it a little. She whispered to Kurt to keep Finn distracted and went to the flower stand, buying some flowers. She then came back and gave the flowers to Finn. "These are for you."

Finn smiled. "Thanks baby."

"You got me flowers the first time we came here, so I thought I'd return the favor," Rachel said.

"Thank you!" Finn said.

x

Finn was feeling tired from all the time he'd spent around New York today, but tired in a good way. Rachel and his friends had helped keep his mind off everything that had happened, and other than his wheelchair, he'd felt normal again for the first time since his kidnapping. The group had dinner at a restaurant near Times Square and then went back to the apartment, where Finn and Rachel were getting ready for bed. "Did you have a good day?" Rachel asked Finn.

"Yeah, I did," Finn said. "Thanks so much for today."

"You're welcome," Rachel said. "I'm so glad you came here."

"Yeah, me too," Finn said. He thought to himself: he'd been pretty happy and calm and carefree today. Maybe he should stay in New York for more than a few days...


	26. Chapter 26: A Setback

_Hi! Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. I appreciated them. Just to warn you - something happens in this chapter that might disappoint some of you. I'm sorry, but Finn can't get completely normal right away. We've just got to have faith in him. Hope you enjoy and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 26: A Setback

Finn had been in New York for about a week now, and he was feeling happier and happier. Even when Rachel was at rehearsals for Funny Girl, he had his other friends to hang out with. He and Kurt could have their warm milk chats again, he could play video games with Blaine and Sam, and Brittany had him as a guest on Fondue for Two.

But the fun couldn't be the only thing. Today he was going to go to a doctor in New York for his weekly visit. Back in Ohio he didn't need to talk about what had happened because the doctors knew the full story. What if he needed to tell the story here?

Finn sat in the waiting room with Rachel, waiting to start therapy. Today was Rachel's day off from rehearsals, which was definitely a treat. He was glad that since he did have to go to therapy that Rachel was going with him. At least she helped make it bearable when he had gone with her in Ohio.

The doctor came into the waiting room. "Finn Hudson?"

Finn gulped. Now he was probably going to need to recap his whole story - something he never wanted to do again. Rachel wheeled him back into the therapy area, where the doctor sat down. "Hi Finn. I'm Dr. Johnson."

"Hi," Finn said. "I'm Finn. This is my girlfriend Rachel."

"Nice to meet you," Rachel said.

"You too," Dr. Johnson said. "Your doctors in Lima sent me your records. How long are you going to be in New York?"

"I'm not sure," Finn admitted.

"Well, that's fine," Dr. Johnson said. "I understand you're trying to walk again?"

"Yeah," Finn said. He tried to explain his situation without talking too much about what happened. "I have cracks in my spine, pelvis and clavicle, I broke three ribs and I sprained my ankle..."

"I know," the doctor said. "I got your records. You don't need to talk about it. Have you tried walking?"

"Well, while holding on to things," Finn admitted. "In physical therapy, we were starting to walk holding on to railings..."

"I see," Dr. Johnson said, turning to Rachel. "How do you think he's doing?"

"I think he's improving," Rachel said.

"Good," Dr. Johnson said.

After some stretches, the doctor looked at Finn. "Would you like to try walking without holding on to anything?"

Finn didn't know what to think. After all, this was his first time seeing this doctor. He turned to Rachel, wondering what to do or say. "What did Finn's doctors back in Ohio say?" Rachel asked, knowing what Finn was thinking.

"They think he's just about ready to walk without holding on to railings," Dr. Johnson said. "So what do you think, Finn? Want to try walking without holding on to anything?"

Rachel gave Finn an encouraging smile. "Okay," Finn said.

Dr. Johnson and Rachel helped Finn stand up, leaving Finn standing on some of the physical therapy mats. Finn found himself standing steadily and not stumbling. He could stand. That was something, right?

"You can do it," Rachel told Finn.

Finn took a deep breath and took a few steps, but found himself shaking. After only a few steps, he fell down on the mat.

"Hey, you did a few steps," Dr. Johnson said.

"Yeah, but I fell," Finn groaned. "And it was only a few steps. I can't walk anymore."

"Finn, it was the first time you've walked without a railing," Dr. Johnson said, reaching to help Finn up. "Your doctors back in Lima said you're making great progress."

"You should give it another try," Rachel said, holding out her hand for Finn.

Finn tried to walk again, but once again, he struggled to keep his balance and fell after a few steps again.

"Ugh," Finn groaned, lying on the mat.

"Do you want to give it another try?" Dr. Johnson asked.

"I can't do this," Finn said. "Those stupid kids destroyed my body."

"They didn't destroy your body," Rachel said. "Your cast is coming off soon and you don't have to wear your braces twenty four hours a day anymore..."

"Yeah, but apparently I'm going to need a railing if I ever want to walk again," Finn groaned.

"Your doctors in Lima think you're going to be able to walk again soon," Dr. Johnson said, clearly trying to be encouraging.

"Just help me back into the chair," Finn sighed.

"Don't you want to give it another try?" Rachel asked.

"I think I've done enough," Finn sighed.

"Finn..." Rachel began.

Finn could tell that Rachel was upset, but he didn't need his self esteem to be brought down. He knew how much Rachel wanted him to recover and he didn't want to disappoint her.

"I'm sorry baby," Rachel said softly as she helped Finn into his wheelchair.

"Don't be," Finn sighed.

"So, if you're still in New York next week, I'll see you then?" Dr. Johnson asked.

"Yeah," Finn said.

"Okay, have a good day, you guys," the doctor said as Finn and Rachel started to leave.

"Baby, you don't need to get upset about falling down," Rachel said as she and Finn began to leave. "It was only your first try."

Finn knew Rachel was trying to be encouraging, but he just felt terrible. "I'm probably never going to walk by myself again."

"Don't say that," Rachel said.

"I know you're trying to be optimistic, but what if I don't?" Finn said. "Artie thought he might be able to walk again after his accident, but he still doesn't walk. Maybe this is my lot in life now. God, I hate those people so much. They've ruined my life!"

"You can walk with railings," Rachel said.

"Yeah, with railings," Finn snapped. "I'm never going to walk by myself again."

"You need to stop thinking like that," Rachel said. "The key is to be positive."

"That's the biggest cliche ever," Finn snapped. "Being positive isn't going to get me to walk again. Healing is going to get me to walk again. Just like being positive didn't get me out of that basement. I got out because I broke out. Being positive didn't win us Nationals. We won it because we worked our asses off. My grades didn't improve because I was positive. They improved because I actually started doing work..."

"Well, if you think being negative will get you to walk again, you're definitely working at that," Rachel said.

"Don't be such a smarty pants," Finn snapped. "God, Rachel..." He saw the hurt on Rachel's face. "Let's just get home."

"Yeah," Rachel said quietly. "Let's get home."

x

Rachel felt so bad to see Finn so upset. It was only his first attempt, but she knew that the past few months had been full of defeats for Finn. His life had been changed possibly permanently. Maybe she'd been overly optimistic... ever since he came to New York, he was so happy, the happiest she'd seen him since his kidnapping, and now here he was feeling down.

No one else was home when Rachel and Finn got back to the apartment and Finn asked to lie down. Rachel didn't feel like arguing with Finn again, so she helped him into bed and went to the living room.

Rachel picked up her phone and dialed Finn's mom's number. She knew that no one knew Finn better than his mom. Carole picked up right away. "Hi Rachel."

"Hi Carole," Rachel sighed.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Carole asked. "Is Finn okay?"

"He's resting," Rachel said. "Carole, today I took him to physical therapy. The therapist suggested he try walking without a railing and he fell down, then he got really upset..."

"Oh, poor Finn," Carole sighed. "What happened?"

"He was just putting himself down and acting like he'd never walk again, and it was so discouraging..." Rachel began.

"Is he okay?" Carole asked.

"He's resting right now," Rachel said. "I wanted to talk to him, but it felt like nothing I'd say would work..."

"Oh, honey," Carole said. "Just let him rest. Be there for him, but don't force yourself on him. Ever since he came to New York, he's been so much happier."

"Really?" Rachel asked. She'd seen Finn happy, but it felt good to have confirmation.

"Yeah," Carole said. "Ever since he got there, he's sounded so happy on the phone. He's relaxed. He hasn't had a nightmare. He hasn't even brought up what happened while on the phone with me."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, really," Carole said. "I'm not going to say anything to him, but I do hope he stays in New York and goes to school there. I'll miss him, but it's been good for him."

Rachel smiled to herself. She'd noticed a change in Finn's mood, too. "I guess this is just one small setback."

"Yeah," Carole said. "It is. He's away from reminders of what happened, but going to therapy today probably reminded him of what happened. And it was probably discouraging for him to fall down. I'm sure this was upsetting for you, too. Don't give up on Finn though. He went through something neither you nor I can imagine going through. He's a strong man. He can do this."

"I just wish that I could help him walk again," Rachel sighed.

"So do I," Carole said. "We can't help him walk again, but we can love him."

"Yeah," Rachel sighed.

x

After a nap, Finn woke up, feeling so bad about the way he'd snapped at Rachel. When he got home, he sent texts to Kurt, Blaine and Sam (as well as Puck, Artie and Mike in Lima) about how angry he was about what had happened at the appointment. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep, but now he realized that a nap was what he needed.

It was only his first attempt to walk without a railing. He shouldn't have been so hard on himself. And he shouldn't have lost his temper. Finn pulled himself out of bed and into his wheelchair, then wheeled into the living room, where he saw Rachel, Kurt, Blaine, Sam, Santana and Brittany.

"Hey you," Rachel said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine," Finn said. "I'm sorry about earlier... I was just upset."

"Hey, it's okay to be upset," Rachel told Finn.

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have gotten mad at you," Finn told Rachel. He looked at his friends. "Or sent those texts..."

"Hey, sometimes we need to let our anger out," Sam said.

"I know you guys feel sorry for me, but that doesn't give me permission to act like a dick," Finn said.

"You weren't being a dick," Blaine said. "You're upset, and understandably so."

"I know," Finn said. "But I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Kurt said. "You might not have walked today, but you will soon."

"Yeah, we all believe in you," Rachel said.

Finn smiled at his friends. "Thanks."


	27. Chapter 27: Next Steps

_Hi guys. Thanks so much for all your reviews. I appreciated them. So, the 19th was the sixth anniversary of Glee and I got my Season 6 DVDs, hoping that there would be Finchel in the bonus features. No Finchel in the bonus features. Instead, Lea is talking about how glad she is that she got to marry Jon. WHAT? Why is everyone still ignoring what a horrible person Jesse is? The characters and the actors are not the same people. That ending was so disrespectful and it makes me mad that no one acknowledges that.  
_

_Anyway, sorry for the rant. Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going. Only a few chapters left :( I'm going to miss this story!_

Chapter 27: Next Steps

The two weeks Finn had initially planned to stay in New York had ended, but he'd told his family he wanted to stay for a little while longer. The truth was, he just wanted to stay in New York. Of course he had moments here and there where he got upset about what happened, but there weren't as many as there were in Lima, where there were reminders of what had happened all over the place. The lease on the loft had ended, and Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Blaine, Sam, Brittany and Santana had found a four bedroom apartment tor ent. Since the rent was being split seven ways, it wasn't too expensive. In addition, Artie had come to New York was sharing a bedroom with Sam for a few weeks before moving into his dorm so he could get adjusted to New York before college started. It was nice to have him in New York as well, and he'd helped Finn find some fun wheelchair friendly activities.

Today, though, Finn had another physical therapy session in New York. Days of physical therapy were usually the worst for Finn. He'd been doing his stretches at the apartment and tried walking while holding on to the couch, bed or dresser, but going to therapy was depressing, and it sometimes made him wonder if he'd never walk again.

Since Rachel had rehearsal today, Kurt was going to physical therapy with Finn. Finn did like going with Rachel, but it was also nice to get one-on-one time with his brother.

"What do you think our parents would think if I stayed here?" Finn asked Kurt as they got off the subway and began heading toward the hospital.

"You think you want to stay here?" Kurt asked. "Well, I'd like that, and I think everyone else would, too."

"Yeah, but what about our parents?" Finn asked. He knew his mom was very protective of him, especially after what had happened.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they have a feeling you're staying here," Kurt pointed out. "You did sign the lease for the apartment."

"Yeah," Finn said. "But I really do want to stay here. I love it here, and there aren't as many reminders of what happened. Plus I have you guys..."

"Well, I'm sure they'd miss you, but they'd probably understand," Kurt guessed. "The whole reason they were encouraging you to look at schools in DC was because that way you'd be away from everything."

"True," Finn said. "I decided against DC because my mom has her job back in Lima, and your dad wold be at Congress, and I didn't want to be alone all the time..."

"I get it," Kurt said. One of the major changes was that, although Finn was doing better, he still didn't like being at the apartment alone. If only one person was there and had to run an errand, he'd go with them.

"Do you think I'll ever be able to be home alone again?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I do," Kurt said as they arrived at the hospital.

"I can hope," Finn said.

As Finn and Kurt sat in the waiting room, Finn's phone vibrated. He looked at it and saw a text from Rachel. "Good luck! Sorry I'm not there but I know you'll be able to do it. Love you!"

Finn smiled to himself as he heard his name called. He wheeled up to the doctor with Kurt following behind him. After some stretches and warmup exercises, the doctor turned to Finn. "Would you like to try walking again?"

Finn looked at Kurt, not knowing what to say. "Well, I can try..."

"You should try," the doctor encouraged.

"Well - I'll try," Finn conceded.

"Go for it," Kurt said.

Kurt and the doctor helped Finn out of his wheelchair. Finn held on to the railing and took a few steps before he let go of the railing and began walking on his own. He began to feel tired after a little bit, but this was more than he'd done last time.

"Wow," the doctor said as Finn sat back down in his wheelchair. "That was great."

"Our parents are going to be so happy," Kurt told Finn. "And so will Rachel."

"I never thought I was going to walk again," Finn admitted.

"Well, you are walking," the doctor said. "I predict in a few months it'll be like you never lost your ability."

Finn smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah," the doctor said. "I meant to ask you, how does it feel to have the cast off your arm?"

Finn looked down at his right arm. "It feels great."

"Good," the doctor said. "Remember, it won't be long before you don't need to wear your backbrace anymore. I don't know if you'll come here for your next appointment or be back in Ohio, but if you are back in Ohio, I'll be sure to let them know what great progress you've made."

"Thanks," Finn said. He knew where he wanted to be though. He wanted to stay here in New York.

x

After Finn and Kurt arrived back at the apartment, Finn got his phone to call his mom. Kurt had told their roommates that Finn had walked a good amount by himself, and they were thrilled. He was sure his mom would be happy that he was walking again, but he didn't know how she'd feel about him wanting to stay in New York.

The phone rang a few times before Carole picked up. "Hey honey!"

"Hi Mom," Finn said.

"So how was therapy today?" Carole asked.

"I walked," Finn said. "It wasn't for much, but I walked. Maybe a few hundred feet."

"You walked?" Carole asked. "Finn, that's amazing!"

"I've been holding on to things to help me and doing my stretches, so I guess it all paid off," Finn said.

"Of course it did," Carole said. "Honey, you've come so far since you first escaped. This is wonderful."

"Thanks Mom," Finn said. Now he felt like he should get to the point. "Mom, ever since I got to New York, I've been feeling better emotionally, and I think that might even be transferring over to my body. In Lima there were so many reminders of what happened, but there aren't here. I don't get scared when I pass certain places here."

"Kurt has told us that you seem to be doing better," Carole said. "It's good to have some confirmation."

Finn took a deep breath. "Mom, I want to stay in New York. I know you might not want me to, but I think it's what's best for me right now. I'm not one of those people who just follows their girlfriend wherever she goes. I'm doing this for me. There aren't reminders of what happened here and the people here don't know about what happened. I want to start off at a community college here, where I can just be Finn Hudson, not the guy who was kidnapped and held hostage in a basement." He breathed again, realizing how much he'd let out.

"Oh honey..." Carole began.

"I do understand if you don't want me to move here," Finn said. "I love you and I know you and I have always had a special bond since I was little and that you're protective of me, especially after what happened. I promise if I stay here, I'll call you every day. With Burt in DC for congress, it's close enough that I can come down and visit sometimes, and of course I can visit you in Ohio, and you can visit me in New York..."

"Sweetheart, I understand why you want to move to New York," Carole said. "Am I going to miss you? Of course I am. Even when you were at University of Lima, we could meet for lunch. To be honest though, as much as I'll miss you, this is what I think is best for you right now. I was hoping that you'd stay in New York."

"Really?" Finn asked, feeling relieved.

"Really," Carole said. "It's a new world for you in New York. No one knows about what happened there. You can even just say you were in a car accident if people ask why you're in a wheelchair. We'll come visit you whenever you want."

"Thank you for understanding," Finn told his mom. "I also wanted to say thank you for everything ever since it happened... you've always been there for me."

"I love you, honey," Carole said. "I'm just so glad you're still here with us."

"Me too," Finn said. Now that he knew his mom was okay with it, he was going to tell Rachel when she got home that he wanted to stay in New York.

x

Rachel arrived home a little later than usual. Finn was at the apartment with Kurt and Blaine, since Sam had a photoshoot, Artie had a program for school and Santana and Brittany had gone to a movie. Finn had already told their other friends that he'd walked and that he wanted to stay in New York, and they were so happy for him. Now he still had to tell Rachel.

Rachel came into the apartment. "Hey Finn." She came over and gave Finn a hug.

"Hey baby," Finn said, returning the hug. "Guess what."

"Tell me," Rachel said.

"I walked today," Finn said. "At physical therapy, I walked. It may not have been as far as what I was hoping for, but I was able to walk without holding on to anything."

Rachel got excited. "Are you serious? Finn, that's amazing!" She gave him another hug. "I am so proud of you."

Finn smiled as he returned the hug. "Thanks, baby. I'm still going to be using my wheelchair most of the time, but it feels good to know that I can walk again."

"I always knew you could," Rachel said.

"I know," Finn said, getting ready to tell Rachel the next piece of news.

"Did you tell your mom?" Rachel asked before Finn had a chance to tell her. She looked a bit sad. "When does she want you to go back to Lima?"

"Who says I'm going back to Lima?" Finn asked, hoping Rachel would get the hint.

Rachel smiled wide. "What? You want to stay here in New York?"

"I do," Finn told Rachel. "I love it here in New York. With you, with Kurt, with our friends. Away from everything that happened. I want to start at a community college here in the fall and maybe go to another school next year."

Rachel took Finn's hand. "I'm so glad to hear that."

"It's really helped me to be away from everything," Finn told Rachel. "In Lima, everyone knew me as the guy who was held hostage in a basement. Here, no one knows about that. It's like a new start."

"That's what you need," Rachel said. "That's why I encouraged you to come to New York. You could have a new start here, but at the same time, you have lots of support whenever I need it."

"I'm lucky to have you," Finn told Rachel.

"I'm lucky to have you," Rachel said. "I was so worried you'd never take me back after how much I screwed up this year... I know I've said it so many times, but I really am sorry."

"You don't need to keep apologizing," Finn said. "It's all worked out. We're together again, and this time it's going to be forever."

"Yeah, it is," Rachel said. "I'm just so happy you decided to stay in New York."

"This is where I belong," Finn said. "When I came to visit you in the fall, I was afraid of it, but there's something for everyone here."

"There is," Rachel agreed. "I didn't just first encourage you to come here just so we could be together, though that is an added bonus. I thought you would like it here, and I also think that this is a great way for you to start over."


	28. Chapter 28: Nineteen

_Hi everyone. Just a heads up, as I said when I posted my latest chapter of my Season 7, I may not get to update again until next week. One of my friends is getting married this weekend, and I have bridesmaid duties to tend to. I promise I'll have a new chapter up as soon as I can. Anyway, Finn's age may be confusing. I know they referred to him as being 19 in Season 4 and Season 5, but according to Glee Wiki, his birthday is August 24, 1994, meaning he never turned 19. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going :)_

Chapter 28: Nineteen

Rachel walked around the campus of a community college in New York with Finn. Finn had met with an academic advisor to talk about classes to take, and they'd also taken a campus tour. Finn had seemed very relaxed during the tour, which Rachel thought was a good thing. "So, what do you think?" Rachel asked.

"It looks nice," Finn said. "Nobody said anything about me being in a wheelchair and wearing braces."

"I noticed," Rachel said. She knew Finn had written the community college a letter about what had happened, but he wasn't planning to say anything to other students.

"I could do a year or two here, and then go to a four year college to finish up my teaching degree," Finn said.

"That's right," Rachel said. "And you'll be walking by the time you get there."

"I love your optimism," Finn said.

"What can I say? I believe in you," Rahcel said back.

"No one does more than you," Finn said.

Rachel and Finn had gone to look at the community college, but there were other things worth celebrating: Finn's nineteenth birthday was coming up. She was planning a party for Finn and would be inviting his parents to come visit.

"I'm glad you decided to move to New York," Rachel told Finn.

"Me too," Finn said. "It's really nice here. I think when I came to visit in the fall, I was nervous and overwhelmed, but I know now that I can handle it."

"If you can handle what Sue and those kids did to you, you can handle anything," Rachel said.

"Rachel?" Finn asked.

"Yeah?" Rachel asked.

"I am kind of nervous about going back to school," Finn admitted. "It was when I was in school when all of it happened..."

"I understand," Rachel said. "But this will be different. You're not going to live on campus..."

"Maybe I should have asked for more strict security..." Finn began.

"Finn, we can walk you to and from campus every day until you're comfortable going alone," Rachel said. "There's so many of us, someone's bound to be able to."

"I think I can do it myself," Finn said.

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I don't want to keep being so pathetic, Rach. I want to go back to my old life."

"You just sounded nervous," Rachel said.

"I know I did," Finn said. "But I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I think I'll sign up for classes soon."

Rachel leaned down and kissed Finn. "So, what are you thinking you'd like to do for your birthday?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Finn admitted. "I'm just glad I get to have a birthday."

"Finn, we need to celebrate!" Rachel said. "Like you said, it is your birthday and we didn't know if you'd get one."

"Well, maybe we could have dinner or something," Finn suggested.

"Yeah, that could work," Rachel said, not wanting to drop hints.

"Honestly, I just want to spend it with you and our friends," Finn said.

"Well, we could do that," Rachel said.

"Are you excited for Funny Girl?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I am," Rachel said. "You'll come to opening night, right?"

"Of course!" Finn said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Rachel had hoped that Finn would come, but she knew that he was fragile right now, so maybe he woudln't want to sit in a dark theatre.

Finn seemed to know what Rachel was thinking. "You really thought I wouldn't go?"

"I'd understand if you didn't want to," Rachel said. "You did go through an upsetting thing. I could always get a bootleg for you."

"Some things have changed, but I'm still the guy who loves you more than anything or anyone in the world," Finn told Rachel. "There's no way I'd miss it."

"Thank you, babe," Rachel said softly. "I'm glad you're here in New York."

"I love it here," Finn told Rachel.

"Good," Rachel said. "How about we get a snack before we go home?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Finn said.

x

Finn's 19th birthday was a few days later. Finn didn't know that his parents were coming to town, though he had talked to them on the phone. Rachel had rehearsal in the morning, but the guys had taken him out to breakfast. Now Rachel was home from rehearsal and had asked Finn to go with her to get groceries. Meanwhile, their other friends were decorating the apartment for a party. "Do you think he'll be surprised?" Blaine asked.

"I hope, Lord Tubbington can't blow up these balloons," Brittany said.

"Of course he'll like it," Kurt said. This was definitely something to celebrate. No one thought Finn would still be around for his 19th birthday.

The doorbell rang, and Santana opened the door, where Burt and Carole were. "I'm so glad you guys could come," Kurt told his parents.

"Oh, we wouldn't miss this," Burt said. "So, where is the birthday boy?"

"Grocery shopping with Rachel," Sam said.

"You guys want to see his present?" Carole asked. She took a blanket off a box they had, revealing it to be a dog crate with a beagle inside it.

"That dog is cute!" Brittany said.

"He is," Sam agreed.

"This was Finn's favorite of the therapy dogs in Lima," Carole said. "When I told the therapists he was moving to New York, they asked me if maybe he'd like for this guy to move in with him. How can you say no to that?"

"It is a really cute dog," Artie said.

"How's Finn doing?" Burt asked. "When we talk to him on the phone, he seems to be doing well enough, but..."

"He still has moments," Kurt admitted. "I think he's doing a lot better though. He did like the community college he and Rachel visited."

"I still worry about him," Carole admitted.

"Well, we're all making sure he's safe and comfortable," Sam said.

"Plus this apartment has security cameras, so you don't need to worry about people doing things to him and getting away with it," Santana added.

Kurt's phone went off. "I got a text from Rachel. They're almost home."

x

"I know it's my birthday, but you didn't have to say yes to getting all my favorite foods," Finn told Rachel as they went into the apartment building.

"Of course I said yes," Rachel said. "Though I was thinking we'd order takeout from your favorite restaurant for dinner tonight."

"You're spoiling me," Finn laughed.

"It's your birthday, and I'm your girlfriend," Rachel said. "It's my job."

Finn had a feeling Rachel was making his birthday into a big deal because she almost thought he wasn't there for his birthday. He decided not to say anything about that though. Finn and Rachel got in the elevator and went up to their apartment.

When Rachel opened the door, Finn was surprised to see the apartment decorated with balloons and streamers, with food all over the table. Then their roommates spoke. "Surprise!"

Finn didn't know what to say. "What?"

Rachel gave Finn a hug. "Happy Birthday."

His friends had put together a party for him? "Oh my God," Finn managed to say.

Burt adn Carole came out of the hallway. "Hi honey, happy birthday," Carole said, giving her son a hug.

"Mom! Burt!" Finn gasped. His parents were here too? How had they managed to keep this a secret?

"We couldn't miss this," Burt said as he hugged Finn. "Your brother called us, and we knew we wanted to be here."

"Thank you," Finn said, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "All of you."

"Someone else from home came, too," Burt said as he opened the bathroom door, revealing Finn's favorite therapy dog, Coda. Coda came over and hopped on Finn's lap.

Finn smiled. "Coda!" He patted the dog. "I've missed you!" He looked up at his parents. "The hospital was okay with him coming to visit?"

"He's not here to visit," Burt said. "He's here to stay. He's yours."

After how much the therapy dogs had helped him, Finn had considered getting a dog of his own. He'd never thought he'd get the dog he had worked with though. "He's mine?" Finn asked.

"He is," Carole said. "When we talked to the therapy center about you moving to New York, they asked if we thought you'd like Coda for yourself."

"Of course I do!" Finn said as his friends came over to pet Coda.

"We have something else for you, too," Burt said, handing Finn a wrapped box.

"Oh?" Finn asked. He opened the box and saw tickets to a New York Giants game. "An NFL game?!" he gasped.

"An NFL game," Burt said. He turned to the other guys. "We thought you might like to go with him, too."

"Are you kidding?" Sam asked. "Of course we would!"

"Well, I hope the players are better dressed than baseball players," Kurt said.

"Honey, they'll be dressed pretty similar to the players at high school games," Blaine told his boyfriend.

Kurt groaned. "Anyway, here's your gift from me, Finn." He handed Finn a wrapped box.

"Thanks bro," Finn said as he opened the box and saw a new iPod. "Thanks!" He opened new xbox games from Blaine, Sam and Artie and iTunes cards from Brittany and Santana before he got to Rachel's gift. "What did you get me?" Finn asked his girlfriend.

"You'll like it," Rachel said as Finn began unwrapping the gift. He opened it and saw some drumsticks with gold stars on them engraved with "forever yours, faithfully."

Finn smiled when he looked at the drumsticks. "Wow, thank you, Rachel."

"I wanted to get you something special," Rachel said.

"You are my special thing, but these are great, too," Finn said, looking at the drumsticks.

"We got catering from your favorite restaurant in New York," Kurt added. "And an ice cream cake."

"You didn't have to do all this, you know," Finn said.

"We wanted to," Rachel said, giving Finn another hug.

Finn had to admit, there were times when he was in the basement when he didn't think he'd make it to his birthday. But he'd made it, and he was able to celebrate it with his parents and his brother and his friends. He was making progress in physical therapy and he'd be starting school again in a few weeks. He was living in a great city with his girlfriend, his brother, his friends, and now a dog. This had to be one of his best birthdays so far.


	29. Chapter 29: College, Take Two

_Hi guys. Sorry it took me so long to update. As I told you last time, one of my best friends got married last weekend and I was one of her bridesmaids, so that took up a lot of time. Because of the wedding, I missed a lot of work, so this week I was catching up with work, as well as having orientation for school (yeah, going back after two and a half years...). Anyway, I hope those of you who are still around enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 29: College, Take Two

The last few weeks of summer had been nice for Finn. Rachel had taken him to lots of fun places around New York and he'd gone to Yankees and Mets games with the guys. He'd also gotten tickets to the home openers for the Jets and the Giants. He'd also enjoyed showing his parents around when they came to New York and had gone down to DC to spend time with them while they were there for Congress.

Of course, there was something hanging over his head that he was a bit nervous about - returning to school. He'd been talking about it with his therapist, who was telling him that it was normal, but he still couldn't help but feel nervous about going back to school. He was probably always going to associate college with what happened to him while he was at University of Lima. His therapist reminded him that this was a completely different college and that the people who'd done that to him were in jail, but he was still worried he'd be reminded of what happened when he went to classes.

The first day of classes came all too soon. Burt and Carole had talked to the college administration and security about what happened, but asked them not to talk to Finn about it in front of other students. Campus security would be keeping a close eye on Finn, which eased his fears somewhat.

At the same time, he didn't want his fears to overcome him. He wanted to get the most he could out of his year at the community college and hopefully transfer to a four-year college here in New York to finish his teaching degree. He loved New York and now he saw why Rachel and Kurt had always wanted to come here.

Finn pulled himself out of the bed and into his wheelchair before wheeling into the living room. He was the last in the apartment to get started in classes. Artie had moved into his dorm two weeks ago and started classes at Brooklyn Film Academy. NYADA had started last week for Rachel, Kurt and Blaine. Santana and Brittany were both at the diner more, and Sam had already started getting male modeling gigs.

"Look who's here!" Rachel said as Finn wheeled into the kitchen. "Ready for your first day of classes?"

"I think so," Finn said.

"You'll like this college," Kurt said. "You know I looked at it before I got into NYADA."

"I hope," Finn said. He looked at Rachel. "You'll walk me there this morning, right?"

"Yeah, of course I will," Rachel said. "Maybe we could meet up for lunch."

"I'd like that," Finn said. Before he had a chance to say anything else, his phone started ringing. He looked at it and saw that it was his mom. He was sure his mom was worrying about him today, so he picked up the phone. "Hi Mom."

"Hi honey," Carole said. "Are you ready for today?"

"I think so," Finn said. "Going back to a college campus just might remind me of everything that happened..."

"I know it will," Carole said. "But remember, this is a completely different campus. And you want to get your teaching degree, right?"

"Yeah, of course I do," Finn said.

"Remember, we talked to the campus security and your academic advisor," Carole reminded Finn. "No one's going to talk about what happened to you in front of other students."

"Yeah," Finn admitted. "Do you think people will think I'm weird because I'm in a wheelchair?"

"Finn!" Carole said. "One of your best friends is in a wheelchair. That hasn't stopped you two from being friends."

"That's true," Finn said.

"Community colleges are designed for people who need a step back from four-year colleges, remember that," Carole said.

"I know," Finn said. "I'm sure I'll be okay."

"You will be okay," Carole said. "Call me tonight, okay?"

"I will," Finn promised before saying goodbye to his mom.

"Your mom?" Rachel asked as Finn hung up the phone.

"Yeah," Finn said. "You know how she gets, she's really protective of me."

"I don't blame her after what happened," Kurt said.

"Yeah, but I do want a normal life," Finn continued. "I don't feel completely normal again yet, but I'm going to get there some day... I hope."

"You are normal," Kurt said.

"I try to be," Finn said. "I hope at school I can be treated like I'm normal."

"You will be," Rachel said. "No one there will know what happened."

x

Finn wheeled into his first class. Rachel had dropped him off, and he felt himself getting nervous when she was gone. Then he thought about his conversation that morning. He wanted to feel normal. One step toward feeling normal would be going to school and trying his hardest not to appear nervous.

As Finn took his seat in the classroom, he looked around at the other students. Other students began filing in. "Are you okay?" one of the boys asked, sitting at Finn's table.

Finn didn't know what to say. Did this guy somehow know who he was? Did Finn look nervous? "Yeah, why do you think I'm not?"

"Well, you're in a wheelchair," the boy began.

Well, at least that didn't sound like he knew what happened. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just in a car accident." Hopefully no one who knew the truth would come in. He'd told his therapist that would be the story he was telling other students and his therapist didn't seem to have a trouble with it.

"That sucks," the boy said. "Are you okay other than this?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Finn said. "I'm hopefully going to be out of the wheelchair soon, so it's temporary."

"At least it's not permanent," the boy said. "I'm Cory, by the way."

"I'm Finn," Finn said. "Nice to meet you." He tried to get the discussion off his wheelchair. "What are you majoring in?"

"I don't know," Cory admitted. "That's why I'm starting off at community college."

"I took some time off after high school and am just starting now," Finn said. That wasn't a complete lie. He hadn't even finished half the semester at University of Lima. "I actually just moved to New York."

Three boys sat at the table behind Finn and Cory. "I can't believe my parents are making me go here," one of the boys complained.

"Why don't you want to be here?" Finn asked.

"I wanted to go to NYU, but my parents are making me start at community college," the boy complained.

"Well, I didn't think I was quite ready for a four-year school," Cory said.

"Me either," Finn said. This was easier than he thought it would be. "I'm Finn, and this is Cory."

"I'm Brian," one of the other boys who sat at the table said. "This is George and Anthony. We went to high school together."

"In New York?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, aren't you from New York?" Anthony asked.

"He's from Ohio," Cory told the boys. "He just moved here."

"It feels like I've been here forever though," Finn said. He noticed the guys looking at his wheelchair. "I was in a car accident over the summer, so that's why I'm in a wheelchair. It kind of made me want to take charge of my life and move here to New York with my brother and my girlfriend and some of my friends who've moved here."

x

The rest of the day at school went fine. Finn had continued with the car accident alibi, and it wasn't questioned. By the time classes were over, he would be going to physical therapy. Kurt came to the campus to take him there, and they'd be meeting up with Rachel.

"How was your first day of classes?" Kurt asked.

"It was good," Finn told his brother. "I made some friends in some of my classes."

"That's good," Kurt said. "No one knew about what happened?"

"No," Finn said. "That was nice. In Lima everyone knew about it, so I couldn't go anywhere without people looking at me. Here in New York, I can just be me."

"See, you can be living a normal life," Kurt said.

Finn smiled. "Yeah, and it feels pretty good."

"You just told people you were in a car accident?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, and no one suspected anything," Finn said.

"That's good," Kurt said as they arrived at physical therapy, where Rachel was waiting.

Rachel came over and gave Finn a hug. "How was your first day?"

"It was good," Finn said. "I don't think my classes will be too hard, and I made some friends. No one made me feel weird about my wheelchair."

"See, we all told you you'd be okay," Rachel said.

"You were right," Finn said as his therapist came in. After doing some stretches, Finn held on to the railings to practice his walking. Before his therapist told him to, Finn decided to let go for a moment. However, he stumbled and had to hold the railing again.

"I see you felt like jumping the gun," his therapist told him.

"I just really was hoping I could walk again," Finn sighed.

"We needed to wait for you to get enough balance first," the therapist said.

Maybe Finn had been letting things get to his head. "I'm sorry. I just started school today and it felt good to feel normal..."

"I never said you weren't going to walk again," the therapist interrupted. "And you will walk on your own. Just be patient."

Finn nodded as he held on to the railing and took a few more steps. Finally, the therapist asked him to let go, and he was able to take the most steps on his own he'd taken so far before needing to hold the railing again.

"That was great!" Rachel said, running over to hug Finn.

Finn gave Rachel a kiss. "Thanks." Then something came to his mind - he'd have to be at school longer tomorrow. Today he could leave his braces off the whole time he was at school, but tomorrow they'd need to be on all day. "What about my braces?"

"What about them?" the doctor asked.

"Tomorrow I have school... and I really don't want to wear them..." Finn began.

"Finn, it's not at the point where you can have them off longer," the therapist said. "You'll need to wear your braces to school."

Finn gulped. He'd felt pretty normal today, but what would people think of him wearing braces?

"It'll be okay," Kurt said.

"It's just... I don't want them to know what happened..." Finn began.

"What do you mean?" the therapist asked.

"I told people I was in a wheelchair because I was in a car accident," Finn said. "I don't want them to know about what happened with the kidnapping..."

"Finn, did you talk to anyone before saying that?" the therapist asked.

"Finn doesn't like talking about what happened," Rachel said. "He talked to me and his family and our other friends, and his therapist, and they all thought it was fine..."

The physical therapist looked at Finn. "I can see why you don't want to talk about it. But it is possible that people will find out... and you might want to tell people before they find out for themselves."

Finn didn't know what to say. He wanted to move on from what happened. But was his therapist right? Should he not have used the car accident alibi?


	30. Chapter 30: Across The Room

_Hi guys! Thanks so much for your review on the last chapter. I really appreciated them. I'm definitely sad that this story is winding down. I was worried no one would like this idea, but I've always wondered - was there a way it would have been possilbe for Glee to bring Finn back? So this story was born! Again, thanks so much for the support. Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going.  
_

Chapter 30: Across The Room

College had been in session for a few weeks, and already Finn was liking this school better than University of Lima. It may have been because there were no reminders of what happened here, but he also felt like the professors were better and that he was being more prepared for a teaching degree. He had visited NYU to look into starting there next year. He'd also made several in his classes.

As Finn got ready to leave class the week of midterms, he saw Cory following him. "Hey, Finn," Cory said.

Finn turned his chair and smiled at his friend. That was the one thing that still hadn't gotten to where he wanted it to be - he was still in his chair. "Ready for midterms?" Finn asked.

"Our first college midterms," Cory groaned. "I'm not looking forward to it."

"Me either," Finn admitted. He hadn't made it to the midterm week at University of Lima, so this was his first time taking college exams. "Want to come to my apartment and we can study?"

"Yeah, I'm off today, so that would be great," Cory said. "Plus, I still need to meet your girlfriend and your roommates."

"That sounds good," Finn said. He would have had his friends from college over sooner, but he feared that if he did, someone would accidentally let something about the kidnapping slip. It was nice to have school as a place where no one knew about what had happened...

"Ready to go?" Cory asked, interrupting Finn's thoughts.

"Yeah, let's go," Finn said. He directed Cory to his apartment, and when they first got there, they were the only ones home. That made for a quiet apartment so they could get some studying done. Eventually, Finn heard the door open, and looked up to see Rachel coming in.

"Hey baby," Rachel said, coming over to give Finn a kiss.

"Hey babe," Finn said. "What are you doing home?"

"I just forgot my script at home," Rachel sighed.

"Nice job," Finn teased.

Rachel looked at Cory. "I don't think we've met."

"Yeah, Rachel, this is Cory, one of my friends from college," Finn told his girlfriend. He turned to Cory. "This is my girlfriend, Rachel."

"Hey, nice to meet you," Cory said.

"You too," Rachel said. "I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, I was just picking up some of my stuff for rehearsal. I'll be back later."

"Okay, bye honey," Finn said before Rachel left.

"Your girlfriend seems nice," Cory said to Finn.

Finn smiled. "She is. That's why I'm dating her."

"How long have you and Rachel been together?" Cory asked.

Finn sighed. "It's complicated. We started having feelings for each other when we were sophomores in high school, but I had a different girlfriend at the time. The girl I was dating lied to me about stuff, but after I broke up with her, Rachel was dating someone else. That guy turned out to be a big asshole, and we finally started dating after Rachel broke up with him. Then in the middle of our junior year, some things I'd lied about came out and she got mad at me and kissed another guy for revenge, so we broke up. Then we got back together at the end of junior year when we realized what we'd done was wrong and dated without any complications senior year. We broke up after graduation so she could pursue her dreams, but we got back together this summer."

"Wow, that's quite a story," Cory said.

"Yeah," Finn agreed. And he hadn't even gone into too many details.

"What was it that made you get back together?" Cory asked.

"We just realized that life is too short and we shouldn't be apart from the people we love," Finn said. "Even though we were apart, I loved her and she loved me. Even if I hadn't come to New York, we would have done long distance." He realized he probably shouldn't keep lying. They'd only known each other a short time, but Finn had a feeling Cory was someone who could be trusted. "Cory, can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Cory asked.

Finn gulped. "I wasn't in a car accident. Someone did this to me on purpose."

"What?" Cory asked.

"The cheerleading coach from my high school hated the glee club," Finn began. "I was a member of the glee club in high school and I helped out with it the year after graduation. She was always trying to destroy it. I didn't think she was dangerous, but I knew she was insane... apparently she paid college tuition for some kids at a school in Ohio in exchange for them holding me hostage in their basement. They would hang around the campus of my college in Ohio and then one night they kidnapped me. They'd physically hurt me, and they'd only bring food for me every few days. Every time I tried to escape, they'd push me down the stairs. Once one of them even attacked me with a knife. I managed to escape after a few months."

"Holy crap," Cory said. "Finn, I'm so sorry..."

Finn nodded. It definitely wasn't easy to talk about everything that had happened again. "This is why I came to New York. Here I can start over from all of that. I'm from a small town in Ohio, so pretty much everyone there knew the whole story and if they saw me, they knew who I was. Here in New York, I can just be me."

"I don't know how you did it," Cory said. "Listening to that just made me scared."

"I don't like to talk about it," Finn said. "So please don't tell anyone at school. I'm not ready."

"I won't, I promise," Cory said. "I'm glad you came to New York though."

Finn smiled. "Me too." It was good to have his friends from back home with him, but he was glad he had made a friend at school like Cory, too.

x

"Do you think you want to try walking without the railings?" the physical therapist asked.

Finn gulped. His therapist thought he was ready for that? "Without the railings?"

"Yeah," the therapist said. "You've made some great progress, and I think you're at that point."

"Wow!" Rachel said with a big smile. "Finn, that's great!"

Finn smiled. "I guess I can try."

Rachel helped Finn out of his wheelchair. Finn held on to Rachel's hand at first, but then let go. To his surprise, he took a few steps without feeling wobbly. Finn took some more steps, expecting to lose his balance, but he didn't. Finn walked all the way across the room before he felt tired.

Rachel ran over to Finn and gave him a hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

"I can't believe that happened," Finn said. "Six months ago I never thought I'd walk again."

"You've worked hard, and it shows," the therapist said. "How's he been doing lately?"

"He's been doing really well," Rachel said. "He's in school of course. He almost never has nightmares anymore and he's been a lot calmer and slept soundly through the night. He even goes to and from school to himself most days."

"That's great," the therapist said. "Now, have you told your friends about what really happened?"

"Well, my closest friend from college," Finn admitted. "No one else."

"And how did your friend react when you told him the truth?" the therapist asked.

"He was understanding," Finn said. "He wasn't mad at me or anything."

"See," the therapist said. "You can tell your friends. If they really are friends, they won't hold it against you."

"I'll think about it," Finn said.

"You should," the therapist encouraged. But Finn wasn't so sure. He wasn't as close to his other friends at college as he was to Cory. And he didn't know if they'd be as understanding.

x

"Do you think I need to tell my friends about what happened?" Finn asked Rachel as they walked home.

"Not if you're not ready," Rachel said. "Remember, this is a physical therapist, not a psychological one. If you're not ready, you don't need to."

"Okay," Finn said. "Everyone's home tonight, right?"

"I'm pretty sure," Rachel said. "Why?"

"I want to show them I can walk again," Finn said. "I know I'll still need the chair lots of the time, but Rachel..."

"I know," Finn said. "But Rach... I walked all the way across the room."

"I know," Rachel said. "And I'm so proud of you."

Finn and Rachel arrived back at the apartment, where Kurt, Blaine, Sam, Artie, Santana and Brittany were sitting in the living room. When Finn and Rachel got home, Finn smiled at his friends. "I have to show you guys something."

"What?" Kurt asked.

"You'll see," Finn said. Rachel helped him out of his wheelchair as he walked around the living room before sitting down in an empty chair. When Finn sat down, his friends ran over and hugged him.

"You can walk again!" Blaine exclaimed.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I'm still going to need my chair some of the time, but I walked all the way across the room at therapy today without falling down."

"Wow, Finn, that's amazing," Kurt said. "Have you told Mom and Dad yet?"

"I'll have to call them," Finn said as Coda ran over and jumped on Finn's lap. Finn smiled and patted his dog. "Hey buddy!"

"He's proud of his owner," Sam said.

"We all are," Rachel said as she kissed Finn's head.

"Finn, you need to tell our parents," Kurt said. "They'll be so excited."

"And you'll have to tell Mr. Schue, too," Santana added.

"Maybe I should call my mom," Finn said, getting out his phone and dialing his mom's number.

Carole picked up right away. "Finn!"

"Hi Mom," Finn said. "Guess what?"

"Tell me," Carole said.

"I walked all the way across the room at physical therapy today!" Finn said. "I was feeling a little stiff but I didn't fall or anything."

"Oh my gosh," Carole said. "Finn, that's so incredible. I'm so proud of you."

"I just wanted to tell you thank you," Finn said. "Thanks for all your support that got me to this point."

"I'm so happy for you, honey," Carole told Finn. "I always knew you would overcome this."

"Well, I'm on my way," Finn said.

"I have to go get Burt, but I'll tell him," Carole said. "We'll talk to you tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Finn said. He hung up the phone and turned back to his friends.

"So she's happy?" Artie asked.

"I knew she would be," Finn said.

"Finn, we should have a celebration," Rachel said. "Maybe get some cake and sparkling cider."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Finn said as his dog barked in agreement.


	31. Chapter 31: Truth Comes Out

_Hi everyone. Thanks a lot for the reviews on the last chapter. I definitely appreciate them. I know I wish Glee had done something like this near the end - everyone thought Finn was dead, but he came back. I just miss Finn and Finchel so much and I hate what Glee did to them. Thanks so much again for the support. Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going.  
_

Chapter 31: Truth Comes Out

Things were getting better and better for Finn. Midterms had just taken place at school and he had all As and Bs in his classes. He'd sent in his NYU application and Cory had sent one in, too. Finn was enjoying getting to spend time with his friends and girlfriend. His relationship with Rachel was stronger than it had ever been. His parents had come to visit from DC on the weekends a few times when Burt had to be there for Congress.

Of course, one thing stood out - he was walking more and more. These days when he went out in public, he used his wheelchair, but at home, he would walk until he got tired. His family and friends were so proud of his progress, but there was one question in his mind - should he walk at school? Only Cory knew the real reason behind Finn's wheelchair. Finn wasn't sure if he was ready to tell everyone else, even though he knew his therapist thought he should.

As Finn sat in his bedroom working on his homework, Rachel came in. "Hey."

Finn looked up at Rachel. "Hey!"

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked. Even though Finn had made progress, Rachel was always worried about him.

"I'm feeling fine," Finn said, giving Rachel a smile. "Well, other than the fact that I have a test tomorrow."

"Tests are never fun," Rachel said. "But you're not sore, or upset or anything?"

"I'm fine," Finn said. "Rach, I only have to go to school for one class tomorrow, do you think I'd be safe to go without my wheelchair?"

Rachel stopped and paused, looking like she was thinking. "Well, it is only one class... maybe you can, but if you feel like you need it at any point in the day, just call me and I'll bring it."

"Okay," Finn said. He'd wanted to go out without his wheelchair for some time now, and now he was going to do that.

x

Finn walked successfully to the train station. He found himself feeling a little tired when he got to the bus, but at least he got to sit on the way to school. When he got to school and walked into the classroom, he noticed several other students in the class looking at him as he walked in.

"Where's your wheelchair?" Anthony asked as Finn sat down.

"I don't think I'll be needing it today," Finn said.

"You don't?" Cory asked. "Finn, that's great."

"Yeah, this is the first time I've left my apartment without my wheelchair since the accident," Finn said.

"Accident?" a voice asked. Finn turned and saw a girl named Alexis in his class who he hadn't talked to yet.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I was in a car accident."

"Really?" Alexis asked. "I thought you were the Finn Hudson from Ohio who got kidnapped over the summer when I heard your name..."

Finn panicked. "How did you know about that?"

"My cousins live in Columbus," Alexis said. "It was a big story in Ohio over the summer, how a group of OSU students got bribed to kidnap a guy some woman didn't like and they attacked him in their basement..."

"Wait, Finn, that was you?" Brian asked. "I thought you were in a car accident..."

Finn panicked. "I was in a car accident."

"How many Finn Hudsons in Ohio are there?" asked Sydney, a girl sitting next to Alexis.

"That wasn't me!" Finn blurted out. He had thought no one in New York would know about what had happened. Was this going to be following him around forever?

The professor came in to hand out tests, and Finn had never been happier to be handed a test. He tried to focus on the test as he filled out the scantron. As Finn left class with Cory, he leaned over and whispered to his friend. "Do you think they'll figure out it was me?"

"People our age are pretty self-centered," Cory said. "I'm sure they'll forget about it all by our next class."

Finn laughed. "That's true. Thanks for not saying anything. That's something from my past that I don't like talking about..."

"I don't blame you," Cory admitted. "Neither would I, if something like that happened to me."

Finn remembered that he'd promised he'd go straight home after classes. "Hey, since I don't have my wheelchair, I'm going to head home now. I'll see you soon."

"Okay, have a good night," Cory said. "If you need to talk about what happened today, you can call or text me. But I doubt they'll remember tomorrow..."

"I hope not," Finn said.

x

"Rachel! Someone knows!" Finn said as he arrived home.

Rachel looked up at Finn. "What?"

"One of the girls in my class has family in Columbus," Finn told Rachel. "She heard my story from her family and asked me if I was that Finn Hudson..."

Rachel looked shocked. "What did you say?"

"I said it wasn't me..." Finn began. "But what if they look it up? There's pictures of me..."

"They have no right to do that!" Rachel snapped. "If they do that, I'm complaining to the school!"

"Yeah, but is looking up things on the internet something legitimate to complain about?" Finn asked. "Cory thinks they won't bother to look it up because people our age tend to be pretty selfish..."

"Hey, I've tried to move on from that!" Rachel said.

"Well, let's hope the people in my class are selfish so they don't look me up online," Finn sighed. Still, he was nervous about going to school the next day.

x

Since college classes operated on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and Tuesday/Thursday schedules, Finn wouldn't have classes today with the girls who'd talked about him being "that Finn Hudson," but he still didn't feel completely up to going to school. One of his classes was cancelled yesterday and he had three today, so he brought his wheelchair, though right now he was pushing his books around in it and walking, deciding to use it if he got tired.

"Nice contraption you've got there," Cory said, coming up to Finn.

Finn smiled. "Thanks. It would probably hurt my back to carry my books on my back, so I figured this would do..."

"I was going to get lunch with some of the other guys, want to join me?" Cory asked.

"Sure," Finn said. He followed Cory to the food court, where George, Anthony, Brian and two other guys from some of their classes, Andrew and Duncan.

"Hey guys," said Brian, scooting over to make room for Finn and Cory. "Brought the chair today, Finn?"

"Just in case, but I'm feeling fine," Finn said.

"Well, that's good," Andrew said.

Finn groaned as he saw the two girls from yesterday come over. "Finn, that Finn Hudson guy from Ohio looks a lot like you..." Alexis began.

"Why are you guys obsessed with something that happened in Ohio?" Finn asked, trying to get the topic put to rest.

"Why did you lie?" Sydney asked. "A car accident?"

"Hang on, what's going on?" Brian asked.

"If you had a terrifying experience, would you go around talking about it?" Finn asked.

"What?" Anthony asked. "So you're admitting that happened to you?"

Finn sighed. "Yes, I didn't want to talk about it."

"That's not cool, Finn," Duncan said. "Lying to cover up something you don't like about your past is pretty immature. We're not in high school anymore."

"Leave him alone," Cory said. "If something like that happened to you, would you want to talk about it?"

"Well, Finn didn't need to lie," George said.

Finn groaned. "I should go now."

"Finn!" Cory exclaimed.

"I'll see you guys later," Finn said, getting in his chair and wheeling away. He didn't even want to go to the rest of his classes. He just wanted to go home.

x

"I can't believe they did that!" Rachel snapped as she and Kurt listened to Finn talk about what had happened at school. "Some things are meant to be personal."

"I didn't want people to know about this here," Finn sighed. "I wanted New York to be a new start..."

"Well, maybe we could talk to the school and see if they can put you in another class," Rachel suggested.

"They can't do that," Finn sighed. "I know they can't."

"You can't let them do this, Finn," Kurt said. "Do I need to call our dad to go in there and talk to them?"

"He has important stuff to deal with in congress," Finn sighed.

"He always says nothing's more important than us," Kurt said.

"Still, I think you should complain to someone," Rachel said. "That's something private."

"Well, it was all over the news in Ohio..." Finn admitted. He had some fear that word about what happened would reach New York, but he hoped it wouldn't.

"Well, I'm not letting them get away with this," Rachel declared. "You may not be willing to stand up for yourself, but I'm going to."

"Well, maybe it'll pass," Finn said. "Gossip tends to go pretty quickly..." He was really trying to reassure himself.

"We're not in high school, and this isn't about who had sex with who or who drank what," Kurt said. "This is serious. I'm calling our dad."

"Kurt..." Finn began.

"No, Finn, this is unacceptable," Kurt snapped. He got out his phone and dialed Burt's number, then left the room, leaving Rachel and Finn.

"I'm so sorry, Finn," Rachel sighed.

"Those bitches should be apologizing," Finn said. He felt his phone vibrate and looked at it, seeing that he had a text from Cory. He opened the text. "Are you okay? I told them to leave you alone, but I felt bad that you had to leave like that..."

Finn replied to the text. "My brother wants to tell my stepdad, who's in congress, and have him complain to the school."

"Well, they shouldn't have done that," Cory texted back. "I usually don't support lying but I get why you did it. I can't imagine going through what you went through and I get why you don't talk about it."

Finn was glad that at least Cory wasn't mad at him. "Thanks for your support. I'm glad you're my friend," he texted.

"Who's that?" Rachel asked.

"That's Cory," Finn said. "Don't worry. He's not mad at me... even though the other guys made me feel like shit today."

"Well, at least you have him for a friend," Rachel said.

Kurt came back. "Well, I don't think you'll need to worry about people bothering you again. My dad isn't happy - and you know what he's like when he's mad..."

"Should they be afraid?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," Kurt said. "Very afraid."


	32. Chapter 32: This Doesn't Define Me

_Hi guys. Thanks so much for all the reviews on my last chapter. I really appreciate them. I'm sorry the updates have been slow lately. Things have been pretty busy with work, and I also was visiting my family. I'm so sorry! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 32: This Doesn't Define Me

Finn looked through the mail and noticed that there was a letter from NYU. He sighed as he opened the letter, hoping that he'd gotten in. He'd already decided: at NYU, he'd flat out tell people what happened and then ask them not to talk about it. He didn't want people finding out like they had at the community college. He sighed as he opened the letter, hoping there was good news. "Dear Mr. Hudson, Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to New York University's Class of 2017..."

"Rachel!" Finn called out, wanting his girlfriend to know.

Rachel came into the living room. "What happened?"

"I got my NYU letter," Finn told Rachel. "I got in."

"Oh my God!" Rachel squealed, throwing her arms around Finn. "You got in!"

"I can't believe it," Finn said.

"I can," Rachel said. "You deserve this. Not just because of what happened, but you grew so much academically in high school, and you helped lead the football team and the glee club to championships..."

Finn continued to read the letter. "Rachel, it says I can start next semester! Not next year!"

"So do you think you'll go there for spring semester?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said as Kurt and Blaine came in. "Guys, I got into NYU!"

"Wow," Kurt said, giving his brother a hug. "That's great!"

"Yeah, I'm so happy," Finn said. His phone vibrated, and he saw a text from Cory. Cory had gotten in, too. "And Cory got in, too!"

"So that way you'll have at least one friend there," Rachel said.

"Yeah," Finn said with a smile. "By the spring I'm hoping I'll be walking and I won't even need to explain my wheelchair - but I hope that I don't have to go through this crap again."

Before Rachel, Kurt or Blaine had time to answer, they heard a knock on the door, and Coda started barking.

Kurt and Blaine went to answer the door, and Burt and Carole were there. "Mom? Burt?" Finn asked. "What are you doing here?"

"We're not going to let those kids get away with this," Burt snapped.

Finn sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have told that story. "It's not a big deal."

"No, it is a big deal," Burt said. "This is private information. Come on, we're going down the school to talk to the professors."

"This isn't high school anymore," Finn protested. "I'm an adult. I can handle these things myself."

"Then why didn't you stand up for yourself?" Carole asked.

Finn hadn't thought about that. "I don't know."

"You're a strong man," Rachel said. "You managed to break out of a basement you were being held hostage in."

"Yeah," Finn said. "I guess I was shocked, but I could have stood up to them."

"You could have," Carole said.

x

Finn's parents came along to school the next day. They told the professors they wanted to check out the college, but they were really there in case Finn needed anything. Finn knew he wanted to say something before his parents had a chance though. He was a strong man, like Rachel said, and he didn't need Mom and Dad to stand up for him. At the beginning of his first class, Finn raised his hand as his professor came in. "May I say something?"

"Yeah, of course," the professor said.

Finn went to the front of the room. "I know that you guys noticed that I was in a wheelchair and that I still need it from time to time. Some people were under the impression that I was in the wheelchair because of a car accident. Then some people discovered online that the truth is, I was kidnapped and held hostage in a basement, where I was physically attacked. That is the true story of why I was in a wheelchair - because my injuries from the kidnapping required it. I said that I was in the wheelchair because of an accident because the kidnapping is something from my past that I don't like to talk about. It was a terrifying experience and at times I didn't know if I would make it. I know it's part of my past, but even thinking about it can be upsetting. Lying about why I was in the wheelchair was wrong, and I'm sorry for being dishonest. Until you go through something like this, you really don't know how to deal with it. I don't let this define me, and I hope you won't let this or my lie define me, either."

Saying all that had taken more courage than Finn thought it would. He went back to his seat, hoping that the other students would take what he said seriously.

x

"See honey, you can stand up for yourself," Carole said as she, Finn and Burt left campus at the end of the day.

"Yeah, I can," Finn said. "I wanted to earlier, but I was so shocked."

"Well, it's like you said, this doesn't define you," Burt said. "And I think you're handling it better than most people would."

"Thanks," Finn said. "Like I said, I could do this myself - but it's still nice to see you."

"That's one of the nice things about you being in New York and us having congress things in DC," Burt said. "We can always come visit you."

"Yeah," Finn said. "So, like I told you, NYU said that I can start next semester - do you think that's okay?"

"Yeah," Carole said. "I think that'll be a great school for you."

x

Even though Finn was doing a lot better, Rachel knew that he was still recovering. For one thing, he did lose energy quicker than usual, so he was resting now, and Rachel was sitting in the living room with Burt and Carole.

"I'm glad he was able to stand up and say those things today," Rachel told Finn's parents. "That definitely took courage. Then again, Finn has a lot of courage."

"He does," Carole said. "He's a brave man."

Rachel smiled to herself. "I hope you guys know how good I think it's been for Finn to be here in New York. He's made so much progress, not just physically, but mentally, too."

"Oh, I know," Carole said. "Ever since he got here, he sounds so much happier when we talk on the phone."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "He has his moments from time to time, but he rarely breaks down anymore, and he can go places by himself."

"And we're really glad he's back with you, Rachel," Burt said. "You're good for him."

"You both know how much I love Finn," Rachel said. "I'm doing my best to be there for him whenever he needs me."

"He's lucky to have you," Carole said.

"I was worried he wouldn't like New York, that it would create more stress for him," Rachel said.

"If he hadn't come here, he might be too scared to be home alone still or go certain places," Burt said. "Some things might not ever be completely the same, but this was the right thing for him."

Rachel looked up as Finn came into the living room, Coda walking alongside him. "Hey! Did you have a good rest?"

"Yeah," Finn said as he sat down on the couch, patting Coda. "This guy hopped on our bed and started licking me. He woke me up."

"Bad dog!" Rachel teased.

"You seem to like having a dog," Carole pointed out.

"I do!" Finn said. "If you see the people from animal therapy, tell them I'm enjoying having him here."

"He's a nice dog," Burt said.

"He is," Finn said as he pet the dog.

"Your friend Cory seems really nice, too," Carole said.

"He is," Finn said. "I know I have my friends from high school here with me, but it's nice to have another friend. I'm hoping he comes to NYU, too."

"Me too," Rachel said, snuggling to Finn.

"Your girlfriend loves you," Carole pointed out.

Finn smiled. "I know she does, and I love her lots and lots."

"I'm glad you let me get back with Finn, after everything that happened," Rachel said. "Between what happened our junior year, and getting engaged too young, and our breakup last fall... it's been a tough journey, and not everyone would be willing to stick it out."

"It wasn't that we didn't like you," Burt said. "We'd be honored to have you as a daughter-in-law one day. Between Finn and Kurt, you're already like a daughter to us. You guys just weren't ready for that kind of committment, and you didn't seem to be doing it for the right reasons, but that doesn't mean we wanted you to break up."

"I still hope we do get married, one day," Finn said.

"Me too," Rachel said, glad to hear Finn say that.

x

"Are you enjoying having your parents here?" Rachel asked Finn as they snuggled in bed.

"Yeah," Finn said. "It's great to see them."

"Your parents told me about what you said at school," Rachel said. "I'm so proud of you."

Finn gave Rachel a kiss. "Thanks, babe. That took some courage... I didn't even know what to say, I just came up with things..."

"Hey, I do that sometimes," Rachel said. "But that one thing you said? About hoping we get married one day?"

"I really do feel that way," Finn said. "Even when we were broken up, I was always thinking about you."

"Me too," Rachel said. "I'm just glad that we can sleep next to each other, every night."

Finn hoped they would sleep next to each other every night for the rest of their lives. As he watched Rachel fell asleep, he began thinking about his talk. He knew he wanted to marry Rachel one day. And now that he knew that was what she wanted to, maybe in the future, whether the near or distant future, he could ask her again.

x

"I wish you didn't have to go back to DC so soon," Finn told his parents as he and Kurt walked to the train platform with them. Since Burt had some votes he had to get back to DC for, he and Carole couldn't stay much longer.

"You two can always come visit us in DC," Carole said. "And of course in Lima." She paused. "Though if you don't want to come back, I understand."

"I think for now I'd like to stick to DC and New York," Finn said.

"We understand," Burt said as an announcement came over the loudspeaker announcing the train's departure. "We've got to go now."

Finn and Kurt hugged and said goodbye to their parents before leaving the train station. "It was nice to see them, wasn't it?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, it was," Finn said. "Do you think I'll ever be able to go back to Lima?" He hadn't really thought about it, but when his mom made that comment, he realized he didn't want to go back. Maybe he never could.

"I don't know," Kurt said. "But even if you can't, I'm sure everyone will be more than likely to see you here."


	33. Chapter 33: Make Our Own History

_Hi everyone. Thank you so much for all your reviews on the last chapter. I appreciate them so much. I'm sorry to say there are only two chapters left here and then an epilogue. I'm definitely going to miss this story. This was an issue I was unsure if I should write about at first, so I'm glad that it was so well received. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!  
_

Chapter 33: Make Our Own History

Rachel got home from rehearsal, knowing she'd have the apartment to herself, which was weird. Brittany, Santana and Kurt were all working at the diner tonight, and Finn had gone to a basketball game with Sam, Blaine and Artie. Even though Rachel loved getting to be with her friends, it was nice to be home in a quiet apartment. Plus, being alone would give her some time to think about things.

She couldn't get her and Finn's conversation from the other day out of her mind. She'd wanted to marry him for years now. Even when they were in high school, she could see a future with him.

She knew Finn had been through a lot lately, and she couldn't help but admire how strong he'd been through it all. She'd tried to be there for him in every way she could. She knew that if something like this happened to her, he'd do the same.

Living together had only proved how much Rachel loved Finn and wanted to spend her life with him. But after last time, she had a feeling he might not want to propose to her again because of fear. Then something came to her mind - what if this time, she proposed to him?

Rachel picked up the phone and dialed Carole's phone number. Burt and Carole would probably think she was crazy for suggesting this. She knew they probably would. But she also knew how much she loved their son. She knew he was the one she wanted to spend her life with. She wanted to care for him and protect him like he'd done for her and like she'd done for him these past few months.

The phone rang a few times before Carole picked up. "Hi Rachel," Carole said. "Is Finn okay?"

"Yeah, he went to a New York Nets game with Blaine, Sam and Artie," Rachel said. "I actually wanted to talk to you and Burt about something..."

"Okay, honey, what's up?" Carole asked.

"Can you get Burt?" Rachel asked. "I really want to talk to both of you." She was getting more and more nervous. What if they wanted her to break up with Finn after doing this? She loved him too much to let him go that easy...

"Hey Rachel," Burt said, picking up the phone.

"We're both here, honey," Carole said. "And I'm beginning to get worried."

"This isn't something wrong with Finn, I promise," Rachel said. "You know how much I love your son. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I was worried that our long term goals wouldn't mesh, but seeing how happy he is here, I think he'll be fine. I almost lost him once and I don't want to lose him again. He's my everything. He's my life. He makes me whole and I always feel so happy and safe when I'm with him..."

"Rachel, are you guys engaged again?" Burt asked.

Burt didn't sound disapproving, so Rachel figured that was a good sign. "No, we're not. But this is what I'm calling about. I know typically the guy does it, but I want to ask you for your permission to propose to Finn."

"You want to propose to Finn?" Carole asked.

"I know it sounds kind of stupid," Rachel said. "And if you don't want me to, I won't because the girl usually doesn't do it... but Finn and I are different from other couples. We make our own rules and our own traditions and our own luck. I love Finn and I want to spend my life with him. He's found a career that he wants, and I'm going to be making some decent money with Funny Girl..."

"Honey," Burt said. "Before we were worried that you and Finn were getting engaged for the wrong reasons. It's not that we didn't think that you were the right girl for Finn. We know you're the person that Finn's meant to be with."

"We love you, Rachel," Carole said. "You're special to both of our boys, and we'd love to have you as our daughter-in-law."

"So you're saying yes?" Rachel asked.

"If it's okay with your dads, it's okay with us," Carole said.

"Thank you," Rachel said. "Thank you!" As she hung up the phone, she smiled wide. Burt and Carole were okay with her asking their son to marry her. Of course, how was she supposed to go about it? Typically engagement rings were diamond, but Finn might not want that...

Still, she had Finn's parents' permission. And that felt pretty good. There was something else she wanted to do though: she wanted to make sure her dads would be okay with it. She dialed her dads' number, waiting for them to pick up. She heard the phone pick up. "Rachel!" she heard LeRoy say. "Dad's here, too."

"Hey," Rachel said to her dads. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, of course," Hiram said. "What's going on?"

"Ever since Finn and I started living together, our relationships have gotten stronger and stronger," Rachel said. "It's like we never broke up. I almost lost him once and I don't want to lose him again. He's the man of my dreams. I love him so much and I feel so lucky to have him in my life... and I want us to have that forever."

"Finn didn't call us to ask for permission to marry you," LeRoy said.

"Actually, I called Burt and Carole to ask for permission," Rachel said.

"Baby, you want to propose to Finn?" Hiram asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "We live in the 21st century. Things don't always have to be the old way. Finn and I are meant to be. I love him, I want to marry him... and I really hope you'll give me your blessing."

"You really love him, don't you?" LeRoy asked.

"He's my world," Rachel said. "I don't want to ever be without him. I know you had your concerns, but he's found the career he wants and I'm going to be getting paid on Broadway soon."

"We love Finn too," Hiram said. "And I'm sure he'd love it if you asked him to marry you."

"So you're saying yes?" Rachel asked her dads.

"Yes," LeRoy said. "We'd love to have Finn in our family."

x

Finn watched the game with Blaine, Sam and Artie. Back in Lima, the closest to professional sports was the University of Lima football team. Here in New York, there were so many sports teams, someone was almost always in town for a game to go to. As a congressman, Burt could get discounted tickets to sports events, so Finn loved getting to go.

"Are you feeling okay?" Sam asked Finn. "I know that these seats aren't very ideal..."

"I'm okay," Finn said. True, he was feeling a little sore, but he didn't feel too sore to not get up and move around.

"Are you sure?" Artie asked. "We didn't need to leave your wheelchair at home..."

Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to leave the wheelchair at home. "I'm okay..."

"We can go home if you want," Blaine said.

"I am a little sore," Finn admitted. "These chairs are hurting my back... they're so small."

"There's only about five minutes of the game left anyway," Sam said. "We know we're going to win."

"Thanks, guys," Finn said. He did feel a bit guilty for making his friends leave early, but he felt like he needed to rest in his bed and get comfortable.

"Don't worry," Blaine repeated. "You're okay. Let's get home."

Finn turned on his phone as he left with his friends, sending a text to Rachel to say that he was on his way home. He didn't want to say that he was sore. He knew how much she worried about him.

x

"Rachel, we're home!" Kurt called as he opened the door.

"Hey," Rachel called. "I'm in my room."

Kurt, Santana and Brittany came in. "I think Santa was at the diner today," Brittany said.

Rachel didn't know what to say to that. "Really?"

"Yeah," Brittany said. "He just didn't wear his red and white coat."

Rachel had to giggle about Brittany still believing in Santa. "Did you tell him what you want for Christmas, Brittany?"

"I was afraid to," Brittany said.

"I want Finn to be all better," Rachel admitted.

"We all do," Kurt said. "So, how was your evening home alone?"

"Can you guys keep a secret?" Rachel asked.

"Don't tell me Donkey Face is back," Santana groaned.

Rachel giggled. "No." She was glad Burt and Carole had reacted well, but she wondered how her friends would react. "I want to ask Finn to marry me."

"Wait, doesn't the boy ask the girl to marry him?" Brittany asked.

"Well, when we get engaged, a girl will have to ask," Santana told Brittany before turning to Rachel. "You really are?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but ever since Finn and I started living together, it's been confirmed to me that we're meant to be together forever..."

"I think it's really cool that you want to propose to Finn," Kurt said. "I mean, the boys always propose to the girls, and this would be something new and different."

Rachel smiled to herself. "I know. I mean, last time he asked me, so I think if I asked him, it would bring things full circle. We'll both have done it." She paused. "I just hope he said yes."

"Of course he'll say yes, he did call you his future wife when he punched that gigolo," Santana said.

"I didn't think that he would say that," Rachel said. "So, I'll need your help to pick out a ring..."

"Get him one with a big fat diamond!" Brittany exclaimed.

"I don't know if Finn would like that," Rachel admitted.

"I'll help you find one," Kurt said.

"Thanks," Rachel said, hugging her friends. "You really think he'll say yes?"

"Of course," Santana said.

"I got your parents' permission," Rachel told Kurt as she heard the door open. "Shhh! Don't say anything!"

x

Finn yawned as he began walking back into the apartment. "Are you sure you're okay?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. He did feel a bit better after sitting on the padded seats on the bus, although he was glad to be home. "I'm just going to go lie down."

Kurt, Santana and Brittany came into the living room. "Did you guys have fun?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, but I'm tired, so I'm going to go rest," Finn said. He went into his and Rachel's room, where Rachel was on her computer, doing homework. "Hey babe."

Rachel came over and gave Finn a hug. "Hey cutie! How was the basketball game?"

"Well, New York won," Finn said. "We left early, but we got the score on our phones."

"Why did you leave early?" Rachel asked.

Finn knew he had to tell Rachel. "The seats were uncomfortable. I know that I'm doing a lot better, but they were making me achy and I needed to get home to our bed..."

"Want me to snuggle with you?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I'd love that," Finn said. He changed into his pajamas and climbed into the bed, patting the spot next to him.

Rachel climbed into the bed and put her arms around Finn. "I want to cuddle in bed with you forever," she whispered.

"That sounds good," Finn whispered back.


	34. Chapter 34: The Proposal

_Hi guys. Thanks so much for all your reviews on the last chapter. The idea of Rachel proposing to Finn was something I wasn't sure if you guys would like, so I'm so glad you liked the idea! I definitely had fun imagining how she would do it. Thanks again for the support and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 34: The Proposal

"Do we really all have to come do this?" Santana asked as Rachel looked at rings in the shop.

"Yeah, I need help finding the right ring for Finn," Rachel said. It was still hard to believe she was actually going to do this.

"I don't think that Artie and I will be much help," Sam said.

"Well, I asked you guys because I want the ring to be masculine," Rachel sighed.

"Good luck with that," Kurt snarked.

Maybe Rachel should have gone ring shopping by herself. She began looking at the rings. She knew that Cory was keeping Finn busy at the apartment, so she didn't have to worry about him showing up. It did feel good knowing that her friends supported the idea of her getting engaged, even though they didn't think she'd find a good ring. Rachel pointed at a ring in the case. "I do kind of like that one."

"Isn't that one kind of boring?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, it's just gold," Brittany added.

"Well, I guess it is," Rachel said. "But there are engravements."

"The engravements are more for the actual wedding," Blaine said.

"I just want something special," Rachel admitted.

"Finn's going to think it's special no matter what," Artie assured Rachel.

Rachel looked around some more and then saw a ring with two shades of gold and a stripe down the middle. "I really like this one," Rachel said.

"Yeah, that's a nice one," Kurt said.

Everyone else seemed to agree. "So, you guys think this is the one?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I think it is," Rachel decided. She took the ring up to the cash register before turning back to her friends. "Thanks for coming with me."

"Please don't make me wear pink again," Santana groaned.

"Who says you'll be my bridesmaids again?" Rachel teased.

Brittany looked upset. "We won't?"

"I'm kidding, of course you will," Rachel said.

x

The date night was here for Finn and Rachel. Rachel had hidden the engagement ring in Kurt and Blaine's bedroom drawer. She looked at herself in their mirror as she got ready to go join Finn. She'd told Finn to wear something nice for their date tonight, and she'd gone out with Kurt, Santana and Brittany to pick out a new dress. Her dress was mostly purple, with a white ribbon that tied around her waist and with short sleeves. She had on her Finn necklace, too, of course, and she decided to put her hair down, since she knew Finn liked it that way.

What if Finn said no? What if he wanted to be the one to propose to her? But she had the ring, and she'd made plans for tonight, complete with hints for throughout the night.

"Are you almost ready?" Finn called.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I'm ready.

x

Finn looked as Rachel came out of the bathroom, looking more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. Why did she want to change in Kurt and Blaine's room tonight? They saw each other change clothes all the time. Was she okay?

"Let's go," Rachel said, linking her arm in Finn's.

Finn smiled at his girlfriend. "Okay."

As Finn and Rachel began to leave the apartment, Finn felt Rachel slip something into his hand. He looked down and saw an airplane sized cup. "What's this?"

"It's an airplane cup," Rachel said. "Like what we drank out of on our first date."

Finn remembered that date. It was a special night. But why was Rachel giving him a cup now? Maybe she'd say...

"Let's go," Rachel said.

"Okay, let's go," Finn said. "Lead the way. You planned the date."

As they talked, Finn saw where Rachel was taking him. Bow Bridge. This was where they'd had their first date in New York. He tried to get to a flower stand to buy her some flowers, just like he had last time, only for her to follow him into line. "What are you doing?"

"Buying flowers for you," Rachel said.

"That's what I was doing," Finn said.

Rachel laughed. "Guess we'll get flowers for each other."

"Yes, we will," Finn said.

"I have something else for you too though," Rachel said, reaching into her purse again. She handed Finn a gold tie.

Finn looked at it. "Isn't this from our first Regionals?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "The night you told me you loved me for the first time."

"And I love you more and more every day," Finn said. "What's up with these little gifts?"

"Reminders of how we've progressed," Rachel said. She purchased her flowers first and gave them to Finn before he bought flowers and handed them to her. "So, ready to go to Sardi's for dinner?"

"Yeah!" Finn said. "So, you're recreating our first New York date too, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Rachel said.

"This is so cute," Finn giggled.

Rachel led Finn to Sardi's as she slipped something else into Finn's hand. Finn looked down and saw a purple ribbon. "What's this?" Finn asked.

"This is from the flowers you bought me on our first New York date," Rachel said.

"You still have it?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said.

Finn felt so overwhelmed. He knew that he had his work cut out for him on the next date he planned for her.

Dinner was some of the best food Finn had ever tasted. At the end of dinner, Finn felt something being put on his lap. Finn looked down at his lap and saw a glass. Finn recognized this glass right away. It was the glass that he bought in Chicago to smash at their wedding that hadn't happened. "Rachel, you have this, too?"

"I never got rid of anything you gave me," Rachel said.

"You are so sweet," Finn said as the check arrived. "I'm paying."

Rachel handed her card to the waiter. "No, I am."

"Rach..." Finn began.

"I insist," Rachel said.

After dinner, Finn and Rachel walked back to the apartment. Finn noticed the lights were off, candles were lit and that there were flowers all around the room with slow music playing.

"Rachel, this is too much," Finn managed to say.

"No, it's not," Rachel said. "Let's go sit down on the couch."

"Okay," Finn said. He sat on the couch as Coda came over and got on next to him. "Your mommy's spoiling me today!"

"Mommy?" Finn heard Rachel ask. He looked and saw Rachel coming in with two glasses. "Sparkling cider?"

"Yeah, Mommy," Finn laughed. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, of course not," Finn said, taking a glass from Rachel. "Cheers."

Rachel clinked her glass against Finn's. "Cheers." She picked up the remote. "I have something for us to watch."

"Really?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. She turned on the TV as a video of Finn and Rachel's performances through the years began. Finn didn't even know most of these had been taped. Watching them reminded him of how much he loved all those songs - especially since he'd done them with her.

x

"That was pretty special, wasn't it?" Rachel asked Finn at the end of the video.

"Yeah, it was," Finn said. "I never knew you had taped every song we ever did together."

"Oh, you know me," Rachel said. "I liked having my stuff taped in case producers would ever want to see it."

"What was your favorite song we did together?" Finn asked.

"Of our duets, Faithfully," Rachel said. "I think that's when we sounded best, but it's got special meaning because that was the first time you told me you loved me. What about you?"

"That's my favorite, too," Finn admitted. "What about your favorite we led?"

"Don't Stop Believing," Rachel said. "You did that."

"Yes," Finn said. "And it was my favorite too. That was when we first came together. It was like our bonding moment." He squeezed Rachel's hand again. "I really enjoyed this, Rachel. Seeing all our songs again reminded me of how much I love singing with you."

"We'll have plenty of opportunities to sing together," Rachel said. "I know you don't like Callbacks, but there are other places we could go."

"I'd like that," Finn said as he kissed Rachel. "This was a really great night. Going back to Sardi's and Bow Bridge... it was so nice."

"I'm glad you enjoyed tonight," Rachel said. It was about time to do it. "You know, I want this to be our best date ever."

Finn smirked. "Oh really?"

Rachel felt the box with the ring in her pocket. "Yeah. Finn... can I just step out of the room for a minute?"

"Yeah, of course," Finn said.

Rachel went to the bathroom and took a few deep breaths. She then went back to the living room, where she'd set the camera in the corner, and turned it on for automatic video taping. Then she felt herself getting nervous. What if he said no? Well, she could delete the video...

"Finn, there's something I want to ask you," Rachel said. "And it's not something to be taken lightly, so you can say no if you want. I know that what I'm going to ask you isn't something you're expecting..."

Finn looked confused. "What's going on?"

"I love you," Rachel said. "I love you so, so much. Even before we really bonded in glee, I knew there was something special about you. You would often tell other people to stop when they were being mean to me, even way back in kindergarten when I got pushed over on the playground. Then we joined glee. You were the first friend I made, but you were more than that. I could see something special in you from our first rehearsal together. Then you started getting to know me and I fell more and more in love with you. You bring out the best in me, you help me become a better person, you support me and understand me like no one else... I don't think I can ever put into words how much you mean to me. We've let each other go before, I've even nearly lost you, and I don't ever want that to happen again. I love you so, so much. I don't know what life has in store for me. All I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Even if I can't have other things I want, what matters to me is that we have each other. I want you to know how loved and how special you are."

Rachel nervously reached into her pocket and got out the ring box, too nervous to be making eye contact with Finn. She opened the box and looked up at him. He was tearing up and biting his lip. "So, Finnegan Christopher Hudson, will you marry me?"

"Oh my God!" Finn exclaimed, grinning and with tears filling his eyes before he threw his arms around Rachel. "Oh my God! Yes! Yes!"

Rachel smiled as she hugged Finn again and slipped the ring on his finger. "I know usually the guy does it... but after everything, I wanted to be the one who proposed to you."

"Well, I'm so glad you did, because I can't do anything that awesome," Finn said, looking at the ring on his finger. "I'm still going to buy you a ring though."

"That's fine," Rachel said. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Finn said. "There's nothing I'd love more than to spend my life with you."

"I'm so glad you said yes," Rachel said, hugging Finn.

"Did you expect anything else?" Finn asked.


	35. Chapter 35: The Engagement

_Hey guys. I'm sorry that it took me a while to update. I'm going to be honest, I've been down a lot lately, with the anniversary of Cory's death approaching. This used to be my favorite time of the year and now it's my least favorite :( In addition, there have been some mean comments that have made it hard for me to write. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going. One chapter and an epilogue to go - I'll really miss this story.  
_

Chapter 35: Engaged

"I can't believe you said yes," Rachel said, smiling and looking at the ring on Finn's finger.

"Of course I said yes," Finn said. "I've asked you before, haven't I?"

"Well, yes," Rachel said. "But I felt like since you did it before, I'd do it now. And I love you."

"I love you too," Finn said. He had to admit, he really did like the ring Rachel picked out, but he felt bad she didn't have a diamond to put on her finger. "I'm going to buy you a ring, too, though. You deserve one."

Rachel smiled. "You saying yes means more to me than any ring could."

Finn smiled back. "I'm still getting you a ring."

"Well, a ring would be nice," Rachel giggled. "So, who do you want to tell first?"

"Can I call my parents?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, of course," Rachel said.

Finn got out his phone and dialed his mom's number, putting the phone on speaker. Carole picked up the phone almost right away. "Hey honey."

"Hi Mom," Finn said. "Can you get Burt?"

"Sure," Carole said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great," Finn said. He'd never been better.

Burt picked up the phone. "Hi Finn."

"Mom, Burt..." Finn began. "I'm engaged!"

"You're engaged?!" Carole asked. "So she did it?"

"She did it," Finn said. "She put together the best night ever and then she got down and asked me, with a ring and everything! She really is the best girl ever!"

"I'm so happy for you, honey," Carole said. "Rachel loves you so much."

"I know that you two will be happy together," Burt said. "Were you surprised?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "But so happy."

"We're so happy for both of you," Burt said. "Does anyone else know yet?"

"You guys are the first ones I told," Finn said.

"Rachel did ask us first, so we knew that it was coming," Carole said.

"I did forget to ask Hiram and LeRoy before I asked Rachel," Finn laughed. "Speaking of Rachel's dads, we should probably tell them next!"

"Well, congratulations to both of you!" Carole said.

"Thanks Mom," Finn said. He turned off his phone and turned to Rachel. "My parents are happy."

"Well, if they'd said no, I wouldn't have asked," Rachel said, smiling. "Can we call my dads now?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "Put the phone on speaker."

"I will," Rachel said. She dialed her dads' number as Finn sat by her side, hoping her dads would be happy. After a few rings, LeRoy picked up the phone. "Hi baby!"

"Hey Daddy," Rachel said. "Where's Dad?"

"I'll get him," LeRoy said.

Finn had to admit, he was feeling nervous. He knew Rachel's dads were very protective of their daughter and that he wasn't as big minded as she was. What would they think? They hadn't been keen on this before...

"Hey honey," Hiram said.

"Dad, Daddy, I'm happy to tell you that Finn and I are engaged!" Rachel said. "I popped the question earlier tonight, and he said yes!"

"You did?" Hiram asked. "Did you videotape it?"

"I did, and I'll show you the video next time you're in town," Rachel said proudly.

"Baby, you're getting married," LeRoy said.

"You're not upset?" Finn asked.

"No, of course not," Hiram said. "Before, you two were so young and confused. Now, you've been through hell and back and you've proved you can make it in the real world."

"We have," Finn said, hugging Rachel.

"So, we want to help once you start planning," Hiram said.

"Of course," Rachel said. "I'm sure Finn's mom will want to help, too."

"Well, congratulations, you guys," LeRoy said. "You deserve this."

Finn smiled. "Thanks."

x

Rachel couldn't be happier that she and Finn were engaged. Any moment now, their friends would get home, but for now, she wanted to cuddle with her fiance. If someone had told her a year ago that she and Finn would be engaged in a year's time, she wouldn't have believed them and would probably be upset with them for giving her false expectations. At this time last year, she and Finn had just begun speaking to each other again. They'd begun moving back toward each other after hooking up at the wedding, but then Finn disappeared, and Rachel thought that he was dead. But he was here with her right now, with a ring on his finger.

"What are you thinking about?" Finn asked.

"Us," Rachel said. "I'm just so happy right now."

Finn smiled. "Me too."

The door opened, and Rachel knew their roommates were home. She told them not to come home before a certain time, and now her time with Finn alone was ending.

"Oh, it looks nice in here!" Brittany exclaimed.

"Okay, Frankenteen, let's see your finger," Santana said.

Finn held up his hand. "Good choice, Rachel," Kurt said.

"Well, you'll need to help me pick out a ring for Rachel," Finn told his brother. "I want her to get to have one, too."

"Of course," Kurt said.

"So, what did she do?" Sam asked Finn.

"She recreated our first date in New York and gave me little trinkets of our relationship along the way," Finn said. "Then we came home and watched a video of our songs together, and then she asked me to marry her!"

"Awww!" Blaine said. "You two are cute."

"I like to think so," Rachel said. "Want to see the video?"

"Of course!" Artie said.

Rachel played the video for their friends, smiling as she watched it. At the end of the video, Finn turned to Rachel. "I don't think I could have topped tonight, so I'm glad she asked."

"We're really happy for you guys," Santana said. "So, when will you tell people?"

"We told our parents already," Rachel said. "You guys are our closest friends, so you should be the first to know after them."

"Have you two started fighting over who gets Kurt as the honor attendant yet?" Artie asked.

"He's Finn's brother," Rachel said.

"Good, because I want him as my best man," Finn said.

Rachel turned to Santana. "And will you be my maid of honor?"

"Of course!" Santana said.

"I want you to be a bridesmaid, too," Rachel told Brittany.

"Yay!" Brittany cheered.

"And I'd like for you guys to be groomsmen, too," Finn told Sam, Artie and Blaine.

"Of course we will be!" Sam said. "And the three of us will have to plan your bachelor party, since Kurt will probably want to go to the bachelorette party."

"We don't even have a date set yet!" Rachel reminded their friends.

"We know, we know," Kurt said. "We're just really happy for you guys."

x

"So, when should we have the wedding?" Rachel asked. She and Finn had gone to bed and were cuddling in their room. Rachel put her hand on Finn's finger, loving the feeling of the ring on his finger.

"I was hoping maybe next summer," Finn said. He paused. "I just... I want it to be perfect, and that'll give me time to get all my strength back."

"I understand," Rachel said.

"I know you want to get married," Finn said. "So thank you for being willing to wait."

"Of course," Rachel said. "So, for our wedding party, who else are you thinking?"

"I'm glad I got Kurt as my best man," Finn said. "He is my brother, after all." He paused to think. "Well, I have a special connection to our friends from Glee, and I already got Blaine, Sam and Artie to say yes, so I'd like Puck and Mike too... and maybe Jake and Ryder, too, since I really loved leading the new group. And I'd also like to have Cory, since he's been such a great friend to me here in New York."

"That sounds good," Rachel said. "Santana said she'll be maid of honor and Brittany said she'll be a bridesmaid. I'd like to have Mercedes, Tina and Quinn too... I guess I have time to decide who else to use. And I'd kind of like Mr. Schue to be the officiant, since he was the one who led glee which brought us together."

"You do," Finn said. "And that sounds great! I'm already excited to see you in your dress!"

"Finn!" Rachel said. "You know you can't see me in it before the wedding. I'll have to hide it at my dads' house."

Finn pouted. "Okay."

"What matters is that we're getting married," Rachel told Finn.

"I know," Finn said. "So, when do you want to announce it?"

"We've already told our parents and our closest friends," Rachel said. "How about we put something on Facebook?"

"That sounds good," Finn said. He got out his iPhone and typed up a Facebook status. "Rachel and I are happy to announce that we are engaged! After a dream date, she got down and asked me to be her husband. I am so lucky to be marrying the most amazing woman ever. I love you, Rachel - and I am so lucky to be having you as my wife. I can't wait to start our lives together." He showed his phone to Rachel. "What do you think of this?"

"I love it, and I love you," Rachel said.

Finn posted the status with a photo of his ring. Within a few minutes, there were over a dozen likes and comments. His phone was vibrating with congratulatory text messages.

x

"Finn, you're in the news again!" Santana called out. It had been a few days since the proposal, and Finn and Rachel were still completely over the moon. They'd been getting congratulations from everyone, from the members of the glee club, to extended family members, to classmates from McKinley and their colleges, to Rachel's Funny Girl castmates, to Spotlight Diner coworkers. Mr. Schue had agreed to be the wedding officiant. Rachel had asked Quinn, Mercedes and Tina to be bridesmaids, and Finn had asked Puck, Mike, Cory, Jake and Ryder to be groomsmen. Rachel was still deciding who else she'd want to ask.

"Oh gosh," Finn said. "What's going on? Now that Sue and the OSU kids are locked up, I was hoping the media coverage of my kidnapping would be over..."

"Well, I think you'll both like this," Kurt said, handing his iPhone to Finn and Rachel.

Finn looked at the headline on the Lima news website. "Lima kidnapping victim engaged?"

"Oh wow," Rachel said. "Our engagement's in the news!"

Finn looked at the news article and began to read it. "Finn Hudson, the former University of Lima student who was kidnapped this past spring, is engaged to Rachel Berry, also a Lima native and the star of the upcoming Broadway production of Funny Girl, sources confirm..."

"Oh, wow," Rachel said. "I'm sorry, Finn... I guess this is what happens when I'm on Broadway..."

Finn smiled. "Hey, I want the world to know that we're engaged! And I'm so happy we're engaged." He continued reading the item. "Hudson and Berry dated in high school and now both live in New York. Sources say that Hudson, who is now attending community college in New York, is recovering physically and emotionally from the events of this past spring and that Berry has been his rock..."

"Awww!" Rachel interrupted.

"Well, they're right," Finn said. "You have been my rock."

"I love you," Rachel told Finn. "I can't wait to marry you."


	36. Chapter 36: Finally Married

_Hi everyone. Once again, sorry it took a while. Like I said, this is always a hard time of year for me. I miss Finchel very much, and I probably always will. It's hard for me to write (and do much of anything) around this time of year and I'm sorry. All I can ask is to be patient. All that's left of this is an epilogue, but I do have my next story planned. Thanks so much for your support and please review if you want me to keep going!_

Chapter 36: Finally Married

At this time last year, Finn never thought he would be standing here getting married. At this time last year, he wasn't sure if he'd be alive in a few hours, or a few days. But he was here right now, in his tux, waiting in the wedding suite with his groomsmen for the wedding to start.

As Finn sat there, he thought about the past year. He'd been hesitant to move to New York at first, but it was the best choice he could have made. He loved New York. He'd started at NYU in January, and so had Cory, and they both loved it there. He still had his wheelchair in case he would ever need it, but he hadn't needed it in months. While his strength wasn't completely back, he was doing better and better.

"Ready to get married?" Kurt asked Finn, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I can't wait to add on the wedding band."

"Berry did pick out a good ring," Puck said.

"Well, she won't be Berry after today," Finn said. "I'm so glad you could get time off from the Air Force for this."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss my bro's wedding," Puck said.

Finn heard a knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opened, and his parents came in with Mr. Schue. "Are you ready to officiate the wedding?" Finn asked his former teacher."

"Yeah," Mr. Schue said. "Burt's been helping me with my notes."

"And did you take inspiration from the best man speech you wrote for Finn for your best man speech?" Carole asked Kurt.

"I hope my speech turned out okay," Kurt said. "And I hope there's not too much snark in Santana's maid of honor speech."

"It's Santana, there's going to be snark," Blaine said.

"That's true," Finn admitted. "I'm just so happy. I'm finally marrying Rachel."

"Only about two years after what you originally wanted," Artie said.

"It wasn't the right time then," Finn said. "It's the right time now."

"Just make sure you don't step on Rachel's feet to much during the first dance," Ryder said.

"Yeah, I worked hard with you on your dance moves," Mike added.

"I'll do my best," Finn laughed.

"So, this is what your high school friends are like?" Cory asked Finn.

"Yeah, this is what they're like," Finn laughed.

"Admit it: we're awesome," Puck said.

x

"What if Puck got strippers for Finn's bachelor party and one of them was hotter than me?" Rachel panicked. She couldn't believe that her wedding day was here and she was beginning to panic. This was the day she'd been dreaming of her whole life - but what if something went wrong.

"I don't think the air force would let Puck hire strippers," Quinn said.

"I guess so," Rachel sighed.

"Look, he's crazy about you," Kitty said. "Even when he was leading the glee club, he found ways to talk about you."

"Yeah, always mentioning how great Rachel was on this and that song," Unique said.

"Wow," Rachel giggled. "I didn't know that."

"He did," Tina said.

"I didn't think that I was going to be the first of us to get married," Rachel said as Santana helped her adjust her veil.

"We all knew you and Finn would be first," Tina said.

"Well, I'm glad you thought that," Rachel said. She looked at Quinn. "I hope you don't think I'm ruining my life anymore..."

"You're not," Quinn said. "I'm glad this is happening."

Rachel smiled. "Me too."

"Okay, I think I'm done with your veil," Santana said. "Three years ago, did you ever think I'd be your maid of honor?"

"I probably would have laughed if someone told me that," Rachel laughed. "But I'm so glad you're my maid of honor."

"Well, I guess Kurt had to be Finn's best man," Brittany said. "Are you sure you don't want Lord Tubbington to be the ring bearer?"

"I think he'd have trouble carrying the rings, Britt," Mercedes said.

"Yeah, me too," Rachel admitted.

"And thanks for asking us to be bridesmaids," Marley told Rachel.

"Of course," Rachel said. "Finn loved working with you guys, and since I got to know you this past year, I wanted you to be bridesmaids, too." Since Rachel knew how much Finn had enjoyed working with the New Directions while Mr. Schue was in Washington, she'd asked Marley, Kitty and Unique to be bridesmaids as well. (In the past year, Finn and Rachel had worked from New York to campaign to bring back the glee club, and it was back. Even though they hadn't competed this year, they would next year, with Mr. Schue at the head.) Rachel had also asked her cousin Lea, who was a year younger and lived in Pennsylvania.

The girls heard a knock on the door, and Rachel opened it to see her dads. "Hey," Rachel said. "You excited to walk your daughter down the aisle?"

"Yeah," Hiram said. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Rachel said.

LeRoy looked at the girls. "So do all of you."

"Thanks," Lea said.

"We need to get to the aisle," Hiram told the girls.

Rachel looked at her bridesmaids. "This is it."

"Finn's going to think you're so beautiful," Mercedes said.

"Yeah, he won't want to wait to kiss you," Santana said.

"Let's go get you married," Lea added.

Rachel turned to her dads. "Let's go."

x

Finn stood in the front of the reception hall, waiting for Rachel to start walking down the aisle. He heard as the music began, watching as their bridesmaids and groomsmen began to walk down the aisle. Finally, Rachel was walking down the aisle with her dads, and Finn's jaw dropped at how beautiful she looked. When Rachel reached the front of the reception hall, Finn shook hands with Rachel's dads, but he couldn't wait to whisper, "You look so beautiful," to her.

"You look so handsome," Rachel whispered back.

As the readings and songs took place, Finn could hardly pay attention. His eyes were on Rachel until Mr. Schue finally said that it was time for vows. "Rachel...you mean so much to me... I know we have had a long and tough journey to get were we are today but I wouldn't have changed it because it got us here and now we are finally getting married, you are my soulmate, my everything and I promise I will love you til the day I die, I can't wait to see what the future holds and I can't wait to grow old with you and have a bunch of Finchel babies. The past year... I wouldn't have gotten through it without you. I love you so much. Thank you for loving me, for supporting me, for challenging me, for helping me grow... just thank you for everything," Finn managed to say. "I'm so happy you'll be my wife."

Finn noticed Rachel was tearing up. He could feel himself tearing up, too. Finn, I can't put into words how much I love you and how happy I am to be here today, with you about to become my husband," Rachel said. "No one understands me, supports me, or knows me like you do, and I hope I can be of that same to you. I want to make you smile and I want to be here for you when you need me and I want to lay next to you in bed and make meals for you and travel the world together and see you when I get home from work and play with you and whatever children we may have and just spend my life with you. You areeverything to me and I am so happy to have you in my life. Every moment I've spent with you will be tresured forever. Ever since we first met I knew you were special and I'm so happy that this day is finally here and I'm going to be your wife."

Finn wanted to kiss Rachel now. She always did have the perfect things to say. "Now the rings," Mr. Schue said. Kurt slipped the ring into Finn's hand as he slid it on Rachel's finger. Rachel then took the ring from Santana and slid it on Finn's finger. "By the power vested in me by the state of Ohio, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Finn, you may kiss your bride," Mr. Schue said.

Finn leaned in to give Rachel the most passionate kiss he'd ever given her. This was it. They were married.

x

"I can't believe we're finally married," Finn told Rachel as they walked to the reception.

"Me neither," Rachel said. "I thought we wouldn't get to get married..."

Finn took both Rachel's hands. "Hey, don't talk like that. I'm here, and we're married. What happened with Sue is behind us."

"Yeah," Rachel said.

"I'm sorry we couldn't have it in the auditorium," Finn said. "I know that you wanted to have it there... but I'm not ready to go back to Lima yet."

"Hey, don't apologize," Rachel said. "Everything was perfect."

"Let's go in for the party," Rachel said to Finn.

Finn smiled. "Yeah."

"And introducing for the first time - Mr. and Mrs. Hudson," the MC announced as Finn and Rachel came in.

The applause felt better than applause for a performance ever could. Rachel saw her dads sitting at a table near where the bridal party was, along with Burt, Carole, Shelby, Mr. Schuester, Mrs. Schuester and Coach Beiste. Finn and Rachel's extended families were also in that area of the hall. People from NYADA, NYU, the community college and University of Lima, and so had people from Funny Girl and from Finn's sports from through the years. Former New Directions members were there, including Matt Rutherford, Lauren Zizes, Rory Flanagan, Joe Hart and Sugar Motta, and so were people who'd visited the glee club, like April Rhodes, Holly Holliday, David Martinez and Cooper Anderson.

Finally, Finn and Rachel took their spot at the table, ready for their wedding meal. Santana stood up when and Finn and Rachel were standing. "Hi everyone. I'm Santana Lopez, Rachel's maid of honor. You know through the years that I have known Rachel Berry at first I couldn't stand her...but that was before I really got to know her. She's loud, she's obnoxious... but she's wildly talented, she's an amazing friend, she's always there if you need her, and I'm so lucky to have her as a friend. And Finn...well he is Finn there is no other way to describe him. Once when I sat on a chocolate cake, he walked behind me all day so no one would think I shit my pants. But seriously, Finn's an amazing leader, and he'll always defend you when you need it. The thought of these two being together use to be revolting, but really they are perfect for each other. I can gladly say that now I couldn't think of a better match then these two. I'm so happy you guys are finally married congrats."

Rachel and Finn smiled at Santana as she handed Kurt the microphone. "Hi everyone. I'm Kurt Hummel, Finn's brother and the best man. I had a crush on Finn when we first met. I decided to set up our parents as a way to get close to him - and it turns out he's the best 'brother from another mother' I could ask for - sorry it had to be recycled! And like Santana said, I couldn't stand Rachel when I first met her, but now I realize there's no one I would rather have as a sister in law and friend. In all seriousness it has been an absolute pleasure helping out with this wedding and Rachel, my darling, welcome to the family!"

Finn and Rachel were both tearing up as they listened to the speeches, knowing they'd made the best possible choices for their best man and maid of honor. They headed to the floor together for their first dance, still in awe that they were married. Rachel stared into Finn's eyes. "I love you. You're such a perfect husband."

"I love you too," Finn said. "I'm the luckiest person ever."


	37. Epilogue

_Hey guys. I've got to admit, I was somewhat reluctant to post the epilogue because I'm so sad to be saying goodbye to this story. I'm going to miss it so much and I'm sad to be done. I really appreciated all your support throughout it. In this chapter we get to see some characters some of you may remember from my earlier stories. I haven't written them in almost a year, so I was very happy to get to write them again. Anyway, thanks so much for all the support. Enjoy the epilogue and please review if you want me to keep writing!_

Rachel looked in the rearview mirror, noticing that their children had fallen asleep. Now that she knew they were asleep, she said what she'd been planning to say to Finn since they left New York. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I want to," Finn said. "The kids deserve to see the place we grew up, the place we met."

"I know, but after everything that happened there..." Rachel began.

"Rachel, don't worry," Finn interrupted.

"You're not nervous at all?" Rachel asked.

"I am," Finn admitted.

"Then maybe we shouldn't be doing this," Rachel said.

"We're doing it," Finn said.

Rachel knew there was no point in arguing with Finn. Once he made up his mind about things, his mind was made up. It had been twelve years since Finn was kidnapped, and they still hadn't returned to Lima - until now.

Rachel's dads had moved to New York shortly after Funny Girl opened to be closer to her. Burt and Carole were in DC for congress stuff a lot, so Finn and Rachel would often go to DC to visit them or have Burt and Carole come to New York. Then five years ago, a Senate seat had opened in New York, and since neither Senate seat in Ohio had looked like it would be open any time soon, Burt and Carole had decided to move to New York to be closer to Finn and Kurt and so Burt could run for the Senate seat. Burt had won the Senate seat, and now he and Carole were living in New York.

With their families in New York, it made it easier to not go back to Lima. Many of their friends lived in New York now anyway. Several other couples from the McKinley days had gotten married and begun families in New York - Kurt and Blaine, Santana and Brittany, Sam and Mercedes, Artie and Kitty and Ryder and Marley. Mike and Tina lived in Chicago, where Mike now worked for Joffrey, but he often had performances in New York. Puck had moved to Connecticut with Quinn shortly after retiring from the Air Force, living close enough for visits to and from New York. Jake and Unique were living in LA, but between his dance performances and her singing performances, they also came to New York from time to time.

Finn and Rachel's first daughter, ten-year-old Allie, had been born shortly after Rachel finished her run with Funny Girl. Rachel had taken some time off after Allie was born, giving birth to their twin son and daughter, Ryan and Emma, who were now eight. When the twins were one, Rachel scored another one of her dream roles - Evita. Rachel played that role for about two years before the show closed. She'd decided to take some time off from performing, and during that time, she had another daughter, Sarah, who was now four. After taking some more time off, she'd gotten the part of Maria in a revival of West Side Story - and a few months ago, she'd finally won the Tony she'd been wanting her whole life. However, she'd just left West Side Story - in three months, their fifth child would be born, another boy.

Finn had graduated from NYU with honors and gotten a job at a local high school, where he was the director of their instrumental music program. The school had five choirs, and Finn oversaw all of them and coached the competitive one, as well as teaching music classes. Finn absolutely loved teaching and he was so glad he'd discovered that while working with Mr. Schue and the glee club.

Of course, it was nice to have other people from their glee days in New York. Kurt and Blaine's townhouse was down the street from Finn and Rachel. Kurt had become one of the most well known fashion designers in New York. Blaine had played Tony in West Side Story while Rachel was Maria, just like in high school. They had a seven-year-old daughter named Tracy, and they also had boy/girl twins, Spencer and Katherine, since they'd already used the Tracy part of Hepburn and Tracy. Their twins were five years old.

The other couples living in New York all lived pretty close to Finn and Rachel as well and had found success professionally. Mercedes had just won her first grammy and Sam was the football coach and physed at the high school where Finn worked, and he would often assist Finn with the competitive show choir. They had a three-year-old son, Gabriel, and a two-year-old daughter, Alicia. Santana was a public relations agent and Brittany had taken Fondue For Two to NBC. They had two daughters, Molly, who was three, and Lily, who was one. Artie had just directed a film to the movie theatres and Kitty was a reporter for The Today Show. They had a two-year-old son named Tim and she had just found out that she was pregnant again. Marley's second album had just come out and Ryder was a learning disabilities coach. They had a three-year-old daughter named Ella and she would be giving birth to their son, who they'd decided would be named Ian, in a few weeks. Over in Connecticut, Puck was a police officer and Quinn was a real estate agent. They kept in touch with Beth, and they had a five-year-old son named Adam and a three-year-old daughter named Maddie. Mike was a choreographer at the Joffrey and Tina worked for a nonprofit, and their son Joey was born a few months ago. Unique had gender reassignment surgery that let her have kids, and she and Jake had just had their first son, Eli.

Even the people who had joined glee after Finn and Rachel graduated or were in it for a short time had remained part of the glee family. Lauren Zizes had won gold medals for wrestling in the Olympics and was living in LA as well, where she'd married another Olympic wrestler. Rory had gone back to Ireland, but he'd kept in touch with the glee crowd and came back to the US with his wife and kids from time to time. Sugar had inherited her dad's company and was married to a guy she met in college. Joe was a reverand at a church. At the ten-year reunion for the Class of 2012, Finn and Rachel had heard from their friends that Matt Rutherford was living in Lima again with his wife.

"We're almost here," Finn told Rachel.

Rachel looked over at Finn. "Okay."

x

"I'm not sure if I can do this," Finn admitted. The whole car ride, he'd thought that he could handle going back to Lima, but now that they were arriving, he was nervous. It was the first time he'd driven down these streets in twelve years. Things looked pretty different, but he knew this area like the back of his hand. He and Rachel and the kids would be staying at Mr. and Mrs. Schuester's house. McKinley had become a magnet school for the arts, and Mr. Schue was now principal. He was still coaching the New Directions though. Mrs. Schuester was still a guidance counselor. They not only had Daniel, but four other kids - a nine-year-old boy named Cameron, a six-year-old boy named Dylan, a two-year-old girl named Amanda and a three-month-old girl named Isabel.

"Well..." Rachel began. "I wasn't sure if this was a good idea... but you did say that you wanted to come..."

"Yeah," Finn said. "I wanted the kids to see the place where we grew up... I wanted to show them the choir room and the auditorium..."

"Are we there yet?" a voice called from the back seat.

Finn turned around and saw that his son was up. He knew this meant to stop the conversation. The kids knew as much about the kidnapping as kids could know - a bad person had hidden him away and hurt him was what he'd told them - but they didn't know all the details. When they were older, maybe they would tell the full story. But not now. "It should be soon."

"It's a long drive," Ryan complained.

"Well, you guys slept most of it," Rachel said.

"Because you made us get up early!" Ryan pouted.

Finn noticed the street name. This was the street the Schuesters live on. Finn felt his heart beating fast as he turned down the street. Rachel began rubbing Finn's thigh. She knew. She always knew. And that was one of the things Finn loved about Rachel.

Finn pulled into the Schuester's driveway as he heard another voice from the backseat. "This is it?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, this is it," Finn said, turning and seeing that Allie was up as well. "You guys had pretty good timing."

"At least we didn't have Emma throwing up on everything!" Allie said.

"Hey!" Rachel said. "I got carsick when I was her age, too." She poked Sarah's leg. "Baby girl, we're here."

Sarah opened her eyes. "We're here?"

"Yeah," Finn said, smiling at his youngest daughter.

The three older kids were already out of the car and looking around. "Where are your houses from when you were little?" Emma asked.

"We'll see them later," Finn told his daughter. He took some deep breaths as he held Rachel's hand.

"Finn! Rachel!" Finn turned and saw Mr. Schue coming out of the house. Finn had to smile as he saw his former glee teacher. "Hey!" he said, giving his teacher a hug.

"Finn, you look great," Mr. Schue said. He smiled at Rachel. "You too."

Mrs. Schuester started to come out of the house. "Will, was that them?" She looked at Finn and Rachel. "Oh my gosh! It's so great to see you! Rachel, how's that baby?"

"Oh, we're ready for him to get here," Rachel said.

"Ryan's ready to have a brother!" Allie added.

"Yeah," Finn said. "Here's our kids." The Schuesters hadn't seen the older kids in years and they'd never met Sarah before.

"Hi," Allie said to Mr. and Mrs. Schuester. "Nice to see you again!"

"You too, honey!" Mrs. Schuester said. "You and your sister look so much like your mom."

"Everyone says that they look like our mom and I look like our dad," Ryan said.

"Well, you're already taller than me so that helps you look like Dad," Allie said.

"And this must be Sarah," Mr. Schuester said.

"You Mommy and Daddy's friends?" Sarah asked.

"Yes we are," Mr. Schuester said. "We have been for a long time."

A boy with red hair came outside, and Finn knew who this was. "Is this Daniel?"

"Yeah, hi!" Daniel said, coming over. "My parents were so excited you guys are coming."

"We're excited to see you, too," Finn said. "This is Allie, and Emma, and Ryan, and Sarah."

"I'm an Emma, too," Mrs. Schuester said to Emma.

"Really?" Emma asked. Finn and Rachel shared a glance, glad to see their daughter opening up. She was always shy with new people.

"Yeah," Mrs. Schuester said.

"We've seen videos of your parents," Daniel told the Hudson kids.

"You have?" Emma asked.

"Yeah," Daniel said. "My dad says your mom and dad were the best thing that ever happened to the glee club."

"They were," Mr. Schue said.

Rachel and Finn both smiled. "Thank you!"

x

The night in Lima wasn't as hard as Finn was dreading. The Hudsons spent the night at the Schuesters' house. Finn and Rachel spent the evening having dinner and talking with their former teacher and counselor, while their kids played with the Schuester kids. Today, Mr. Schuester was taking the Hudson family to the school. Finn didn't have to drive by University of Lima to get to the school, which was nice. As soon as they walked in, Finn felt the memories coming back.

"Wow!" Allie said as they walked in. "Your school was so big!"

"Where are the toys?" Sarah asked.

"This isn't preschool," Finn said. "This is a big school."

"School wouldn't be fun with no toys," Sarah said.

"Well, there won't be toys in elementary school when you're done with preschool!" Ryan said.

"Really?" Sarah asked.

"Guys, don't do this," Finn sighed. He knew his kids loved each other, but they would tease each other at times, too.

Rachel poked Finn, and Finn knew this hall. Mr. Schue opened the door, and there it was. The auditorium. The place where Finn and Rachel had first really met each other. The place where they kissed for the first time. The place where they got engaged for the first time. The place where they would have gotten married if Finn had the strength to go to Lima.

"Wow," Finn managed to say. "It's like we never left."

"Yeah," Rachel added. "I miss singing on that stage with you."

"Me too," Finn said. He took Rachel's hand and walked on to the stage. The kids followed them.

"It feels so good to be up here again," Rachel said.

"Your school had a nice auditorium," Emma said.

"It does, doesn't it?" Finn asked his daughter.

"Yeah!" Ryan agreed.

"I'm having flashbacks by seeing you two up there," Mr. Schue said. "Good ones."

"I'm having good ones by being up here," Finn said.

x

After spending some more time in the auditorium, Mr. Schue led the Hudson family to the choir room. Since McKinley was a magnet school now, Finn expected the choir room to be completely different, but it looked exactly the same as when he and Rachel were there. Finn's eyes immediately fell on the drums. So many times, he'd played those drums for glee performances. Emma looked up at him. "Are those your old drums?"

"Yeah, they are," Finn said.

"Can I play them?" Ryan asked.

"Sure," Finn said.

"So he's a drummer like you?" Mr. Schue asked.

"He is," Finn said proudly. "I'm glad that we passed it on in some way."

"Maybe your kids will be in a glee club one day," Mr. Schue said.

"Yeah, maybe," Allie said. "I like playing the viola, so I could play it for the glee club."

"I'm going to be singing like Mommy!" Sarah declared.

"Yes you are," Rachel told her daughter.

"They're so much like both of you," Mr. Schue told Finn and Rachel. Ryan was playing the drums, while Allie and Emma were doing a drumroll on the chairs and Sarah was watching.

"They are," Rachel said. "We got lucky."

"I'm glad they got to see this place," Finn said. "I know it took me a while to get the strength to bring them here... but I'm so glad they get to see it."

"Me too," Rachel said. "I'm so proud of you, Finn."

"So am I," Mr. Schue added. "We all are."

"Thanks," Finn said. It had taken him time, but he'd returned to Lima, and his fear hadn't controlled him. Instead, he was able to revisit his happy memories there. And back in New York, he had an amazing life with Rachel, Allie, Ryan, Emma, Sarah and the little boy they had on the way. The scary parts of Finn's past was behind him, and he couldn't be happier.


End file.
